Increased fines being proposed for farm thieves, says Agriculture Minister

Agriculture Minister Pearnel Charles Jr says several initiatives are being considered including increasing fines for convicted farm thieves to tackle the issue of praedial larceny.

He was speaking during a post-sectoral media briefing via Zoom today.

Charles Jr. made his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in Parliament yesterday, where he announced the ministry's 'Grow Smart, Eat Smart' food security initiative.

“Since day one of being here, I have identified praedial larceny as a priority and that has been a consistent message of mine. I have expressed that there is significant room for improvement in terms of the allocations to praedial larceny prevention and how we are operating now…I can tell you that the proposal is to increase the fines to upwards of at least $5 million, and to ensure that we are putting in place the necessary amendments and adjustments to the legal frameworks to make the deterrence factor much stronger,” Charles told the briefing.

Section 11 of the Praedial Larceny (Prevention) Act stipulates that any person who is suspected of possessing stolen produce or livestock, and refuses to allow a search of his premises by the authorities, shall upon conviction, pay a fine of up to $40,000 or spend up to three years in prison.

Under Section 14 of the Act, any person who falsely claims ownership over any perishable goods can be fined up to $40,000 or three times the value of the goods, whichever amount is greater, or a prison term of up to three years.

Charles also listed other initiatives which will be put in place to deter thieves, including the use of drone technology to patrol farming communities, a 'name and shame' campaign to publish the identities of convicts, and the establishment of farm-watch and beach-watch groups.

Jamaican farmers are estimated to lose some $5 billion per year due to praedial larceny.

- Christopher Thomas 

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