THE EDITOR, Madam:
I AM amazed and greatly concerned at the deafening silence emanating from the Ministries of Agriculture and Health, the Bureau of Standards, the Veterinary Association and the Jamaica Livestock Association regarding the risk of Mad Cow Disease being introduced into the island through the continued importation of beef from contaminated sources.
As everyone knows, the disease has not only spread throughout western Europe, but variations of it have now surfaced in deer and elk in Canada and the United States. One would therefore have expected an immediate and total ban, by Government, on importation of all beef and other meats from such sources; a ban well publicised and rigorously enforced. To date, this has not happened.
It is also important that there are numerous refrigerated containers, warehouses and storerooms in Jamaica, crammed to their roofs with large stocks of such imported meats. One would have expected government inspectors from the Bureau of Standards to inspect such places to supervise the immediate destruction of all such stocks. Again, this has not happened.
One would have expected the Jamaica Livestock Association to mount a vigorous, well publicised campaign; advising people of the dangers of eating products made from imported meats - and encouraging them instead to eat only clean, healthy Jamaican beef and other meats. Again this has not happened; and Jamaican livestock farmers, instead of witnessing a marked increase in demand for local beef, mutton and pork are going slowly out of business - some having not sold a single animal for three years! While their pastures fall into ruinate.
Our Veterinary Department mumbled something about... "anything could happen" meaning, I suppose, that the Mad Cow Disease could get into our environment from refuse discarded from contaminated meats and from the environment into our livestock. That would be the end of us! But having said that nothing more; complete silence.
Over the past 30/40 years, successive Ministries of Agriculture have sat idly and incompetently by, while diseases such as Brucellosis - (cattle), Black Sigatoga (bananas), Lethal Yellowing (coconuts), Coffee borer (coffee), and diseases of citrus, sugar cane, melon, papaya and sweet potatoes have been carelessly introduced into our environment from contaminated imports - even "Piano Grass" was introduced, carelessly allowed to spread, and now threatens vast acreages of good pasture land.
Jamaica livestock farmers should also be encouraged to discontinue using imported animal feeds from suspected sources; and to discontinue feeding cattle on chicken manure and using hormone injections to speed up the fattening process; since these practices are suspected to be a possible cause of the Mad Cow disease.
Our real problem in Jamaica is not lack of resources but lack of vigilance and of capable leaders with the energy and vision to anticipate problems and to avoid them; leaders with ability, creativity and integrity. Little Barbuda had the guts, the integrity, the patriotism and national pride to immediately impose a ban on all imported meats. In Jamaica, by contrast, we continue to allow such imports, even from countries suspected of having Foot and Mouth disease - What's wrong with us? When will we understand that eternal vigilance is required to protect the environment and to safeguard the health of the nation. Truth is our leaders have let us down that is the problem.
I am, etc.,
NORMA L. PERKINS
P.O. Box 9
Walkers Wood
