Opposition wants probe of animal feed shortage; supplier says inventories good

The Opposition is calling for an independent investigation of claims of losses by livestock farmers as a result of the animal feed shortage, with a view to providing compensation to "restore them to pre-crisis levels".

It has also suggested that the ministry take immediate steps to relax the duties on the importation of finished feeds so that farmers can import feeds themselves, if the local producers cannot meet the demand.

In a media release Wednesday afternoon, the Opposition said it was deeply concerned about recent reports from farmers despite promises from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries on Friday that the shortage would have been addressed over the past weekend.

Opposition spokesperson on agriculture, Lothan Cousins, is calling for the ministry to act swiftly and decisively to address the crisis and put measures in place to mitigate potential future crises of this magnitude.

He noted that the "lacklustre approach by the ministry and the broiler companies is unacceptable and that they should be held equally accountable for any loss suffered by our farmers."

He recommended that the ministry and the broiler companies establish an independent committee to investigate the claims.

He further urged the ministry to strengthen its monitoring process to ensure that sufficient supplies of raw materials are available to meet the demands of our local farmers, especially at such a critical point in the year when domestic consumption demands are heightened.

“Our farmers, having anticipated this increased demand, are now left to suffer as a result of the poor management of the ministry and broiler companies. The urgency of the situation demands immediate attention. We cannot sit idly by and speculate when the matter will be resolved”, said Cousins.

In an earlier media statement on Wednesday, feed supplier Hi-Pro maintained that its "inventories are good and feed is available".

"...we have been producing and delivering feed to customers in all 14 parishes throughout the long holiday weekend and will continue to produce and distribute high quality feed to our customers island wide," it said.

The company also blamed the tightness in the market on what it said was a short-lived disruption in its supply chain, resulting from global logistic challenges, which was rectified last week.

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