Govt rolls out plan for pork industry

The Ministry of Agriculture has rolled out a national recovery plan aimed at reviving Barbados’ struggling pork industry, but the government says it will not adjust import tariffs until farmers can consistently supply the market and meet quality demands.

In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Agriculture Minister Indar Weir disclosed that a working committee made up of ministry technicians, pig farmers, and private sector partners, including retailers and distributors, has been established to work on strategy.

“We are providing the support that is needed for expansion in pork production in Barbados,” Weir said. “This should then lead to supermarkets having access to local pork directly, and it would take the will of the retail side of the stakeholder partnership that we established to purchase pork from the local farmers.”

The plan includes contract growing arrangements between producers and buyers, retraining of butchers both locally and abroad, technical assistance, and targeted financial support through the gilt programme.

Contract growing would formalise market access for farmers through pre-arranged supply deals with retailers, whereas the gilt programme aims to improve breeding stock by distributing high-quality female pigs to boost production.

These efforts, Weir said, are designed to improve the volume and quality of pork being produced, especially the speciality cuts required by hotels and restaurants.

He noted that investment would also be needed in the abattoir to support long-term processing capacity.

Despite calls from the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) and the Barbados Pig Farmers Association for immediate intervention, Weir said the Government cannot revisit current import concessions or tariff structures until the local industry demonstrates it can consistently meet demand.

“What I had proposed to them is that once we have the consistent supply, then we can revisit the tariff to make sure that the tariff is such that the local producers aren’t in an unfair or uncompetitive space,” he said.

The minister noted that past duty waivers, granted under the guise of manufacturing, allowed some pork imports to bypass the standard 184 per cent bound rate and contributed to the current imbalance.

“Prior to my stewardship, a lot of concessions were given to the importers to bring in pork . . . one under the title ‘manufacturing’, where there was one duty below the bound rate. And then there were some duty-free concessions given as well that really and truly messed up the entire pig farming industry,” he said.

“I can only reverse those things when we have a consistent supply of pork and when we have the speciality cuts that the tourism space requires.”

Weir also pushed back on suggestions from farmers that they were being pushed out of the sector.

“What I do not understand is why we are constantly hearing about pig farmers being squeezed out. Nobody’s being squeezed out of anything,” he said.

He added that the ministry has been actively working with stakeholders, referencing a meeting held “about two Mondays ago” to solidify the industry’s recovery plan.

Even as the minister maintained that consistent supply is a prerequisite for revisiting the tariff structure, BAS CEO James Paul countered that view, noting that, based on recent slaughtering figures, the industry has already responded to the government’s call to increase production.

“Supply is already increasing. The number of slaughterings are increasing, and the industry is in a position to supply pork,” he told Barbados TODAY.

“So basically, the industry has responded to the call.”

Despite the increased supply, Paul noted that farmers are still struggling to sell their meat, with cold storage backlogs mounting and limited uptake from supermarkets and processors.

Last week, Paul and association president Henderson Williams said more than 50 pigs per week were not making it to market, blaming loopholes in tariff lines, such as lower duties on imported ribs, for making foreign pork more attractive to buyers than local produce.

Weir acknowledged that a full turnaround would take time, but stressed that government is acting in partnership with farmers to build long-term stability.

“It’s going to take a little time, but it’s being worked on,” he said.

“I’m working with the private sector, especially to make sure that all pork that is produced is utilised either via the manufacturing or via the supermarkets. And that is where we are.” 

shannamoore@barbadostoday.bb