Tensions rise over BEPPA AGM block and inadequate chicks for market

Tensions and tempers flared among the nation’s egg and poultry farmers on Wednesday as new members were blocked from the Barbados Egg and Poultry Producers Association (BEPPA) annual general meeting (AGM) and fears intensified about the inability of smaller producers to access sufficient chicks to meet consumer needs for the Christmas season.

The discord within the poultry industry appears to have been simmering for some time, with small farmers struggling to secure chicks in time for the peak holiday demand. The situation escalated dramatically during the highly anticipated AGM on Wednesday morning, leaving the meeting in disarray mere minutes after it began.

Barbados TODAY has learned that numerous new members were barred from attending the meeting which caught many existing members off guard as they were unaware of the meeting’s occurrence. As tempers flared outside the Barbados Agricultural Society’s Grotto, Beckles Hill headquarters, disgruntled new members voiced their dissatisfaction with the proceedings.

Veteran poultry farmer and businessman Anthony Spencer said he moved that the meeting be immediately adjourned as he was discontented with how the meeting had been called and the exclusion of members.

Spencer pointed out that the organisation’s bylaws dictate that members should receive notification of the AGM three weeks in advance, a requirement that hadn’t been met. Holding the meeting on a weekday also drew criticism, as it hindered the participation of members engaged in their daily businesses, preventing them from voicing their concerns and voting for a new board of management.

Spencer told Barbados TODAY: “At the last AGM (October 7) it was adjourned because of discrepancies where people became members at the door and they were not allowed to vote, but the problem with that is that the receipt said a paid member and if the receipt said that then you automatically are a member. Then they (BEPPA) decide to hold a secret meeting today. I am a longstanding member of this organisation and I was not notified and there was a list with names being ticked off and the new members were not allowed to go in. On that, I called a motion against the meeting, it was seconded and I asked for a new meeting to get these issues sorted out.”

Spencer also raised concerns about the incomplete list of attendees and the lack of awareness among many small farmers regarding the meeting’s occurrence.

About 20 new members, including women and young men, were turned away from the meeting even though they had paid their membership fees weeks before the first AGM, with receipts seen by Barbados TODAY dating back to September. They said that during the first AGM, they were told they could not vote because a verification process had to be conducted to ensure they were bonafide farmers, and no BAS official had visited their farms.

Ramon Hewitt, president of the non-governmental farming organisation, Forever Living Green, expressed his dismay at the treatment of new members. He cited the need for fair representation within the poultry sector, emphasising the disparities faced by small farmers compared to larger industry players, including issues related to the quality of birds and feed.

Hewitt said: “Last meeting, it was said that the next time we will be able to vote, but now that we come here our names are not down. From what we can see, there appears to be some bias; it does not seem to be in favour of small farmers. I came here because 90 per cent of the people in the poultry sector are not aware that a certain class is taking over the market and at the end of the day, those in the middle and at the bottom are not getting their fair share.”

Spencer warned that barring members damages BEPPA’s reputation and discourages newcomers from joining the industry, which could further hamper its growth.

“This says that there is a lot of disregard towards the small man that is trying to be an entrepreneur,” he said.”There are not many fields that people can get into to make a profit, and since Barbados is a chicken-eating country, there is room for people to get in the industry. But I see there are certain people who want to dominate the sector.”

BAS President Henderson Williams confirmed that the BAS’s commodity groups follow a membership validation process that involves field visits to ensure individuals are bonafide farmers. He gave an assurance that the association’s board would address the membership issue.

He said: “We’re going to do a thorough assessment of the facts and then we will make recommendations to the BEPPA board so that we can move forward to resolve this temporary impasse.”

Williams could not confirm when the next AGM would be held or if the verification process for new members would be completed in time for that meeting.

“I can’t guarantee at this point that will happen before the next meeting or that it is indeed possible since, technically, the AGM was started,” the BAS president said. “So we will look at the legalities surrounding that and ensure that we do the right thing as it relates to the process.”

Spencer, a seasoned poultry farmer with over 40 years of experience, also highlighted another pressing issue affecting small farmers – the difficulty in accessing chicks from the hatchery. This problem, coupled with the proximity of the Christmas season, has created significant challenges for small farmers looking to meet the holiday demand.

“Some people are trying to get chicks and cannot get any while others are getting all the time. They are being asked to pay half of the money and can’t get the chicks. Then they are being given a date in November and those chickens cannot grow in time to meet December.  The small farmers want to get a lil’ money in December . . . . This is their biggest selling time,” he added.

The St Lucy farmer revealed that he is working on establishing a third hatchery on the island to cater to small players, aiming to ensure they can obtain chicks in time for Christmas. The inability to access chicks could lead to shortages in certain market segments where small players thrive, pushing their clientele to seek alternatives.

Spencer argued that there appears to be favouritism within the industry, and he expressed his concerns about the repercussions on small entrepreneurs.

“. . . . So you are going to suffer the small man for the others to get through. Right now, the hatchery has cut back by 50 per cent for reasons we don’t know. So if you stall the small man what is going to happen? . . . . I have been getting so many calls asking me when I am going to open the hatchery cause’ they can’t get chicks and it hurts me . . . ,” he said.

Barbados TODAY reached out to Barry Gale, the managing director of prominent poultry supplier Gale’s Agro Products, but there was no response up to the time of publication.

Spencer also complained that scores of small farmers were also having issues with the quality of feed they were receiving, stressing that was a matter which urgently needed to be addressed as feed quality could drastically affect a poultry business.

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb