By Anthony G. Stewart, PhD
Many years ago, my neighbour Inola Chambers gave me a goat to “mind” so that I could start my own goat rearing business. It was a goat loan, and the conditions were that I keep the goat until it produces a female old enough for me to start.
Any male offspring belonged to her and was to be returned with the mother at the appropriate time. The first year, the offspring were all male, but the second year produced a female which I was allowed to keep and is currently on my farm.
Three months ago, I imported a pedigree ram from Philmore Isaacs to improve the stock. The agreed price was waived on condition that I return a female offspring to him at the appropriate time a year or two from now. Recently, the goat was stolen and perhaps sold to a hotel, restaurant, caterer, or private home somewhere in this country.
If you ate goat within the past month originating from Union Island, be a food detective. Determine whether it could have been mine and kindly make restitution.
The goat loan was a viable method for our communities to have sustainable development without money. Do what you can to aid this process, not to destroy it.
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Pedial larceny the penalty for breaking the law is far from being tough enough. Where is the penalty of hard labour? Inmates are housed mat club fed where one looses his virginity due to indecent acts.
Sir, you are not alone. Stealing animals seems to become the order of the day. Listening to what has been happening. New year’s morning we woke and found our flock of five missing. The thieves used the back entrance to my property and walked with all five animals. Four sheep and one goat. The mother sheep heavily with lamb and three others suitable for meat. The goat was acquired in October and recently took ram. It may have been used for meat also. It’s very distressing for others to rare animals, and those who (maybe young and strong) to be beneficiaries. Based on what we are hearing, this seems to become the order of the day. I say no more. 😭
Agreed that the penalties for praedial larceny need to be enforced with tighter monitoring of the source of meat being sold. If it’s a manpower problem then this needs be looked into seriously.
Lauramay Pope I feel your pain, it is not only in your area its happens. The government can easily eliminate predial lacerny but is very inept. I remembered two years ago there was a certain ULP butcher a big shot who was found to have bought animals from a thief for under value. He did not spend a night on remand because of connection to the ULP brass.
The problem associated with predial lacerny in St Vincent has become pervasive. The problem can be eliminated by putting proper controls in place. Random inspections of restaurants, proper controls over the issuance of farmers IDs and the reintroduction of the rual counstable program.
As it stands now thieves are being issued farmers IDs to the expense of genuine farmers. It is believed that the haphazard controls in place with respect to the issuance of farmers IDs is fuelling the problem of predial Lacerny. The government does not feel the pain when poor farmers animals are lost because of theft.
The ministry of agriculture is the worst performing ministries . The Minister speaks like a person who knows it all when he speaks of diversification. We talk about the dasheen industry and how many containers are shipped weekly. Ask him about value added, this is non existent. Value added is where the money is being made not shipping containers.
The agricultural stations lack a variety of seedlings to supply farmers with a cheap and a regular supply of seedlings. Farmers are not guaranteed certain type of agricultural seedlings. They are always out of stock in Dunbarton and other stations and the variety available is sickening. The mountains of Greiggs ,the Congo mountains and Fenton mountains are notable Hotspot for theft. This can be easily eliminated by placing arm guards overnight at the entrance and exit in these areas. However, the government does not have the wherewithal to solve the problem of predial lacerny.
This is a real pity! I feel for you Sir. Like a commenter above said, praedial larceny is the order of the day. A number of farmers in Chateaubelair and Fitzhughes will tell you that their animals went missing after they returned the following day to look after them. At times they may be fortunate to get the head of the stolen animal. It’s a horrible situation! Shame on those thieves!