No ban or reduction on poultry product imports without alternative

Unless a clear alternative is given, Barbadians will continue to find imported chicken wings in retailers’ freezers.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Indar Weir emphatically stated that he was not going to push any ban or reduction on the imports of the poultry product into the island.

Delivering his one-year report on his ministry’s performance at the Barbados Labour Party’s Sunday night rally at the Carlisle car park, he told the gathered crowd that it would be unfair to ban the commodity when so many small business owners were dependent upon them to earn money.

“I cannot ban the importation of chicken wings, neither can I speak to the reduction of its importation until somebody is willing to come forward and fill the void, and as a responsible human being I understand that Barbadians must find a way to participate and be part of the economic structure of this country, I refuse to pursue any conversation where I am going to stop, reduce, ban chicken wings from coming into Barbados or turkey wings unless you can give me the alternative,” he stressed.

His stance came in clear opposition to that of Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Agriculture Society James Paul, who has continually urged successive governments to stop such imports due to the impact on the local poultry industry.

Weir therefore said “I want James Paul to know that when he is constantly making his noise about chicken wings, you have got to understand the poor people and you claim to be part of a party that said that it stood for poor people and now you want to ask me to come and tell Barbadians they can no longer sell chicken wings. I can’t do it unless there is an alternative,” he added.

Saying he would soon be meeting with the dairy and beef farmers, the minister expressed that there would be no change in this stance.

“My conversation will not change in this country if I cannot see the numbers to justify the action. Go away, get the information ready and present me with it,” he said.

On the matter of actions to be taken against praedial larceny, he said a consultation would take place with farmers this week to wrestle the issue to the ground. (JMB)