BAS warns of crisis as meat imports squeeze producers

The country’s main agricultural body is again lobbying the government to curb meat imports, warning that a glut of Barbadian pork and poultry is overwhelming cold stores and placing farmers under severe financial strain.

The chief executive of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS), James Paul, said meat producers are facing intense pressure as cold storage facilities reach maximum capacity.

To address what he described as a growing imbalance between domestic supply and foreign imports, he urged the government to review existing trade policies, plug regulatory loopholes, and restrict or temporarily suspend competing meat imports to allow the market time to absorb the surplus.

Significant capital investments made by farmers to expand production and improve operational efficiencies were being actively derailed by an influx of cheap foreign imports entering through trade loopholes, he said.

The BAS chief executive said the domestic pork industry has been particularly hard hit by foreign competition, which is directly affecting major buyers and processors across the island.

According to Paul, some pork products are being brought in at lower rates of duty, making it very difficult for Barbadian producers to penetrate markets:

“HIPAC is one of the principal buyers of local pork in this country, but what is happening is that HIPAC is facing stiff competition from imported pork. As a result of that, they have had to scale back on the amount of pork that is being purchased from our local producers.”

This contraction in purchasing comes at a time when pig farmers have deliberately stepped up production by expanding their herds and modernising facilities, he said, adding that many farmers are left with excess stock they are unable to move, creating a mounting crisis across the livestock industry.

The situation is equally pressing within the poultry industry, where cold storage infrastructure is stretched to its limit, Paul said, as both large-scale commercial operations and smaller independent poultry farmers are simultaneously experiencing high inventory levels, leading to operational bottlenecks at hatcheries and processing facilities.

“We do recognise that we have a glut of poultry on our hands. We have been talking constantly, and we know that the cold storage down there is full to the brim. Also, for some of the larger producers, the stocks are up, and then of course a lot of our smaller producers are coming on at the same time.”

He noted that about a week ago, at least one facility was unable to process and distribute all the birds scheduled for market, underlining the severity of the backlog.

He argued that Barbadian agriculture has matured to the point where farmers can fully satisfy the island’s demand for fresh meat without relying on foreign supplies:

“We are reaching the stage where our local poultry industry should be able to satisfy 100 per cent of the demand for fresh poultry; we do not need to import anything.

“There is no reason for us to be going shopping abroad to whatever Caribbean destination people feel like going to or in the United States to find these products when we have them here. We need more than talk in the industry right now — we need action.”

Paul said failure to address the import issue jeopardises both private farm investments and public funds. He noted that many producers had drawn down on a $2m government investment facility channelled through the BAS to upgrade their farms, and that unchecked foreign entry threatens to render those loans difficult to service.

He said the BAS will continue assisting farmers through the application process with the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure their farms remain resilient while pushing for firm policy action on imports.

 

(RR)