Mark Titus, Enterprise Reporter

Dr Wellington shows off Sport, the junior champion Bull at last year's Denbigh Show, to The Gleaner team at YS Farms, St Elizabeth. Sport will compete in the senior category this year. - Photos by Mark Titus

Dr Karl Wellington, chairman of the Jamaica Red Poll Cattle Breeders' Society, says historical animal-control systems would be more effective in stamping out the scourge of praedial larceny than current methods.

"We have got to go back to the basics, to the livestock regulation that deals with how you control the slaughter and the transportation of animals," he tells The Gleaner. "This regulation clearly defines who butchers and at the same time addresses food safety, animal health and sanitary issues when it comes to meat."

He continues: "There is no proper mechanism in place. The old livestock-control regulation that we are operating under goes back to 1942. As a matter of fact, some of these regulations are being breached."

Wellington, who worked as an animal breeder in the Ministry of Agriculture for more than 25 years, argues that there are regulations governing animal slaughter and the inspection and disposal of meat.

Receipt-book system

A receipt-book system, implemented during the reign of the previous People's National Party administration, was championed as a tracking strategy to inhibit praedial larceny. It features a registration number for each farmer which is used by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority, under its Agri-Business Information System, enabling the authorities to electronically verify the origin of the produce. Receipt books were introduced under The Agricultural Produce (Amendment) Act (2004) and made provision for the introduction of compulsory receipt books to replace certificates.

An amendment was made to the legislation, giving the police discretionary leeway to decide what amounts of goods were domestic or commercial, while the maximum fine for breaches of the act was increased from $1,000 to $250,000.

But Dr Christopher Tufton, the new minister of agriculture, has roundly criticised the system as a failure.

In his presentation during the 2008/09 Budget Debate, Tufton said that the receipt-book system, which was implemented four years ago, had not succeeded in identifying end users, serving only to frustrate and punish legitimate farmers.

Multi-pronged approach

Wellington agrees, adding that that system can only work as part of a multi-pronged approach, incorporating increased police patrols, intensive investigations and swift resolution of court cases.

"This is not done anymore and, because of that, there is no control," lamented the veteran breeder, referring to the age-old verification system. "If these things are put in place, and are being policed and properly managed, then it reduces the risk of animals being stolen, slaughtered and the meats getting in the food chain."

Earlier this week, J.C. Hutchinson, junior agriculture minister, in his contribution to the Sectoral Debate, proposed that micro chips be inserted underneath the skin of cattle to enable farmers to track thieves. Similar tracking strategies have been employed in other countries to deter cellphone theft and to monitor high-risk convicts.

However, cattle farmers believe the security forces should beef up surveillance.

"There should be no way two trucks loaded with cattle are able to move from Point A to Point B at nights without being stopped and checked by a police patrol," states Wellington. "The importance of this to the farmers is not generally understood by the police, the judges or the wider public. The farmers are traumatised; after investing our time and life savings, these culprits continue to deprive us of our livelihood."

Phillip Hawthorne, deputy commandant in charge of rural operations in the Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF), says equipment deficiencies and manpower shortages had hobbled police efforts.

One police unit

"Our resources, both manpower and equipment, are limited," Hawthorne, who has overall responsibility to police farming communities islandwide, tells The Gleaner. "Many of our rural parishes have a total number of (police) personnel from 30 to 50 for the entire parish, with only one police unit.

"Take the parish of St Elizabeth, vastly agricultural, (and) we are supposed to also monitor towns and public places. How can you get one vehicle to check Newmarket, Black River, Junction and Santa Cruz, (which are) four major towns, and at the same time be able to respond to farmers' needs?"

The policeman says the allocation of trail bikes, approximately three per parish, to help the ISCF tackle praedial larceny has been a drop in the bucket.

"Still, looking at it now from a practical standpoint, three trail bikes to patrol the entire St Elizabeth is a completely impossible task," he said emphatically. "The bikes are also unsafe to patrol the fields at nights, as an individual only needs to tie a piece of string across the pathway and that is the end of my men, and my job is to also protect their safety."

Farm-theft data

The deputy commandant was unable to provide The Gleaner with data on farm theft, saying that most farmers were instead reporting cases to the Jamaica Constabulary Force stations.

"The constabulary stations are themselves undermanned. What they (complainants) must do is call the ISCF who has the overall responsibility for policing the agricultural lands," he urges.

Increased spot checks on merchants transporting produce have so far resulted in 97 prosecutions in 2008, in comparison to 44 last year, Hawthorne says.

"It is, therefore, every trader's responsibility to ensure that he collects his receipt from the farmer that he purchased produce from, because if you are stopped and you cannot present that receipt, you can be prosecuted. And if you are not registered as a farmer and are caught carrying produce, you can be prosecuted," the cop warns.

mark.titus@gleanerjm.com

Dr Karl Wellington

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