Agriculture Ministry warns public against chicken looted from container that washed ashore in Hellshire
Published:Saturday | April 5, 2025 | 12:35 PM
The Ministry of Agriculture is urging members of the public against consuming, selling, or distributing chicken products that washed ashore in a shipping container along the Hellshire coastline in St Catherine.
The container washed ashore on Thursday, April 3.
The agriculture ministry says the chicken, labelled under the Brazilian brand Perdix, was not intended for the Jamaican market.
It says it has confirmed that the container fell from a vessel while in transit to The Cayman Islands.
Despite this, there have been widespread reports of looting by members of the public, it notes.
The Ministry, through its Veterinary Services Division, has not approved this shipment for entry into Jamaica.
As such, the chicken meat does not meet Jamaica’s safety standards and has not received the necessary import permits under The Animal (Diseases and Importation) Act.
Further, the public is alerted that the contents of the containers would not have been maintained under ideal cold-chain (frozen) conditions, raising serious concerns about food safety and spoilage.
It is further highlighted that the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza “bird flu” continues to be a growing global threat, hence, unverified poultry products pose a serious risk to human and animal health, and threatens the integrity of Jamaica’s poultry industry.
Individuals who may have taken any of the products are strongly advised not to consume or feed it to animals, and should immediately contact their local public health department for guidance on safe disposal.
The public is also urged to report any instances of sale or distribution of these products to the relevant authorities.
The Ministry thanks the public for its continued cooperation as we work to safeguard public health and the integrity of Jamaica’s agricultural sector.
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