Clarke FACED WITH the threat of outbreaks of the Foot-and-Mouth and "Mad Cow" diseases, the Agriculture Ministry intends to rein in stray animals islandwide under a $10 million quarantine programme.
Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke told The Gleaner that his Ministry was working in conjunction with the Ministries of Local Government and National Security to cull the roaming livestock which causes millions of dollars in damage to property and crops each year.
"We are going to be putting in place 'quarantine stations' under the Quarantine and Animal Disease Act. We intend to set up four of them at strategic points across the island," said Mr. Clarke.
In light of the serious threat, he said the programme had to be implemented within the next few months. "We have begun to put the processes in place," he said.
The quarantine stations would operate along the lines of the pounds, whereby animals are rounded up and kept in a confined area for a specified period, until they are retrieved by the owners for a fee.
According to the Local Government Ministry, there are six operational pounds in Kingston and St. Andrew, Portland, Clarendon, St. Thomas, St. Ann and St. James.
To address the problem of strays, the Ministry has established an inter-agency task force comprising the Agriculture Ministry, the Jamaica Livestock Association, the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Sugar Industry Research Unit, the Police Traffic Department, the National Road Safety Council and the Jamaica Automobile Association.
A Cabinet submission is reportedly being prepared to deal with some of the problems highlighted by the task force, including road accidents and property damage, the health hazards posed by dead animals on streets and highways and the unsatisfactory conditions under which these animals are transported to and held in pounds.
