Praedial thieves pummelling our poor farmers

THE EDITOR, Sir:

A small farmer who farms near my home recounted to me his ordeal at the hands of praedial thieves recently. His concrete hut, secured with padlocks, was broken into and a spray pump, agricultural chemicals, a scale, as well as some crates of tomatoes, were taken by the culprits. They also reaped a portion of his potato crop that he had intended to dig on the day of his discovery. The total value of what was lost is conservatively placed at $70,000. He had to resort to sleeping in his field for the next two nights to safeguard and salvage the remnants of his crop. This is not an isolated case, as other farmers in the area have had similar experiences within the last three months.

One of my neighbours who used to have two or three cows tending, at any one time, no longer indulges in that activity. The reason being his last batch was slaughtered where he had left them the night before, and the flesh carted away. One was a heavily pregnant heifer and the unborn calf was left there on the ground. He now raises pigs, but even that is not without its risks, as pigs have been known to disappear despite how noisy they are. It is said thieves give the pigs rum to get them drunk, which facilitates their noiseless transportation.

NOVEL ANTI-THEFT MEASURES

Another of my neighbours who is into the cow business in a more fulsome way has also suffered numerous losses over the years. Fifty over the past five years wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination. On one occasion, two cows he bought one day were nowhere to be seen at sunrise the next. He has come up with a novel way of thwarting the praedial thieves though. Now, he loads the cattle into the back of his truck nightly, parks it beneath his window, and padlocks his gate.

It's been said that reporting cases such as these nowadays is time wasting. The busy police often don't turn up, and in most cases, the missing cattle is not recovered. Some of the more brilliant among us, a few years ago, came up with the idea of receipt books to solve the praedial larceny problem. Fraught with so many flaws, I am still at a loss as to how the idea actually became reality. If my neighbour gives his 13-year-old nephew a bull calf as a birthday gift, what happens when the animal is mature and the lad wishes to sell it? Does he have to register to get a receipt book prior to getting it sold? Is he eligible to get a tax registration number? I sincerely believe that had the prime minister simply asked the police to expend more effort to curtail the incidents, it would have been more helpful. I now hear moves are afoot for the issuing of passports to cows and am wondering if the minister came up with this gem himself. Of what use is that passport to my neighbour who woke to find only the innards and head of his cows? Cynics have already concluded that this is simply a revenue-generating scheme.

TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS

When I heard of measures to combat praedial larceny I expected something like no livestock being allowed to be transported between sunset and sunrise without authorisation and proper documentation. Something else I expected to hear was of a collaboration involving Govern-ment, farmers, the universities, and the telecoms providers. Something similar to the ankle bracelet fitted to people under house arrest abroad could be adapted and used here. Microchips, being less visible, could be used and triangulation technology incorporating cell sites employed. Animals moved beyond preset parameters would trigger an alarm at a government registry, the farmer's house, and police station simultaneously. These ideas need fine-tuning of course, but I submit that they would yield more results than what currently obtains.

Now the insurance companies have decided to join the pappy show as well. Are things really that bad with them that they are seriously considering insuring cows? What if the cows hang, go lame, or get poisoned, or will the policy only cover theft? What value will be placed on the livestock?

It's a pity more attention isn't being paid to the plight of our farmers, as agriculture can contribute greatly to Jamaica's fortunes. Young people, no matter their education level, could benefit from being involved, thus positively impacting employment figures. Jamaica's food importation bill would surely decrease, and fears some people have of genetically modified foods would be allayed somewhat. Hopefully we won't wait until the cow ... . I mean horse has bolted before closing the stable door.

robert mitcell

mitcib@yahoo.ca