Animal passport to thwart thieves

Christopher Serju, Gleaner Writer

A 'PASSPORT' system for livestock is in the making as government seeks to crack down on the lucrative cattle and goat stealing business, according to Lieutenant Colonel Paul Dunn.

"It will obviously show in Jenny's cow's passport that Jenny cow was sired through this bull and who owns the cow. So if I sell you the cow it will be registered in the passport that you now own the cow. That's the general idea behind it," the Praedial Larceny Prevention Coordinator told The Gleaner recently.

The information contained in all the booklets will be entered in a database against which it can be cross-checked, even after the animal has been slaughtered. The office of the Praedial Larceny Prevention Coordinator is working with Caribbean Genetics (CARIGEN) out of the University of the West Indies to get a DNA imprint of each animal for which a passport is issued.

By the time this programme that forms part of the twofold traceability system is rolled out, all farm animals will be required to have a passport, in order to ensure maximum effectiveness.

"It's a little expensive," Dunn admitted.

Meanwhile, the agricultural receipt book system has been "re-energised" with a high-tech component, but, again, hinges on the cooperation of farmers who must be registered. Upon registering with the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and buying receipt books from the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), they are entered on RADA's Agriculture Business Information System (ABIS).

Members of the police force are now being training in how to access and utilise the computerised system. When it is up and running, they will be able to check receipts against the database which will show to whom the receipt was assigned and where in Jamaica the farm is located. In addition, it will also provide information about the types and volume of crops grown.

For this reason, farmers will be required to provide RADA with information on their acreage and a breakdown of the crops planted. Should they change a crop after one planting cycle, or choose to intercrop, they will be required to so advise RADA so it can update the information.

checks

"When the police stop a truck with cabbage and he produces a receipt from Farmer Joe, the police will be able to check this and show that yes Farmer Joe does plant cabbage," Lieutenant Colonel Dunn explained. "It also tells the acreage and also gives an idea of how much cabbage can come off the acreage, so when that truck man has cabbage in excess of what Farmer Joe could produce, that's a red flag," he added. For this reason, if the trucker buys cabbage from three persons, he needs to have three receipts.

Dunn said he was also arranging a programme to sensitise the police men and women from both the Jamaica Constabulary Force and Island Special Constabulary Force who will be assisting with the Praedial Larceny programme, including visiting markets and abattoirs as well as interacting with the vendors.

Added Dunn: "We are going to be checking vendors on the streets for their receipt books. If you are selling coconut, where did you get your coconut from? Where is your receipt? We have already been to the markets and did some checks on some of the vendors there and we are going back."

Key to the success of this programme, Dunn pointed out, is the buy-in from the public and not only vendors and farmers. Describing the public awareness component of his mandate as a work in progress, the praedial larceny prevention coordinator says he is now looking at some additional things "to throw the whole thing in the public's face". This will be in the form of two television commercials and his participation in a number of radio programmes "spreading the gospel".