Agriculture Ministry urges farmers to secure livestock amid fatal collisions

The Ministry of Agriculture is urging all cattle and small ruminant owners to remove their livestock from major roads and highways to ensure the safety of both commuters and animals. 

Recently, cattle wandered onto roadways in the Westmoreland community of Little London, resulting in tragic accidents and preventable loss of life.

The Ministry says animals that wander into main roads pose substantial risks to themselves, automobiles, and the safety of all road users. 

It is strongly encouraging all responsible animal owners to take the following precautions to protect their animals while also contributing to the overall safety of our communities:

1. Keep your cattle in secure enclosures, such as fenced yards or adequate livestock pens, to keep them from wandering onto main roadways.

2. When driving animals on public roads, they should be closely supervised to avoid inadvertent access to roads.

3. Ensure that cattle have proper identification tags in accordance with the Animal (Diseases and Importation) (Marking of Bovine Animals) Regulations, 2015 - National Animal Identification & Traceability System (NAITS), which state that all bovine animals must be tagged in both ears and accompanied by a passport containing information on the animal's ownership, birth, and DNA.

The public is also being urged to call the local municipalities or pounds as soon as possible if they come across any stray or wandering animals near major roadways.

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