Trinidad and Tobago launches “Don’t pack a pest” campaign

Don't Pack a Pest. Image via: Central Florida Ag News
Agriculture

With support from the United States Department of Agriculture, Trinidad and Tobago has launched a programme to prevent the accidental introduction of agricultural pests via passenger luggage:

There is a high risk of diseases such as Foot and Mouth crossing the border from Venezuela and entering T&T, said Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat.

He said such a scenario was “very worrisome and if it gets here it will decimate our livestock sector,” as he referred to the influx of Venezuelans along the southwestern peninsula bringing goods to trade for food.

Rambharat was speaking at the launch of the “Don’t Pack a Pest Programme” at the VIP Lounge, Piarco International Airport last Friday.

The Ministry of Agriculture’s “Don’t Pack a Pest” outreach programme is a collaborative effort with the United States Department of Agriculture.

“The programme is designed to raise public awareness regarding the risks associated with passengers potentially introducing pests and diseases into T&T, the US and the Caribbean region, by carrying agricultural and food items while they travel. Thousands of pounds of agricultural products are confiscated at ports of entry from passengers. Some travellers do not know that these products are prohibited. These uncertified items pose a serious threat to our food and fibre resources as exotic pests can enter through this pathway and become established, causing millions of dollars to manage or eradicate.”

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, this programme will include the placement of signs at strategic areas in the Customs areas of the Piarco Airport, along with the distribution of other public education materials to the travelling public.

John McIntyre, Charge D’Affaires, US Embassy in T&T who also spoke at the event said the programme is important for T&T and the rest of the region.

“The volume of travel between the US and the Caribbean is significant. Approximately 1.4 million people from the Caribbean visited the US in 2015. I think those numbers are the same going into 2018 and 2019.

About 7.8 million US citizens visited the Caribbean that same year. As the volume of international travellers increases, so does the possibility that travellers could unknowingly introduce a serious threat to the agriculture eco-system and natural resources not only to the US but also T&T and other Caribbean neighbours.”

Source: Trinidad and Tobago Guardian.

[Image: via Central Florida Ag News]

 

No Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Dasheen farmer, Dominica. Image: scottmontreal
Agriculture
World Bank continues to support post-hurricane livelihoods recovery for Dominica’s farmers

The World Bank continues to support action to restore livelihoods in Dominica’s agricultural sector, post Hurricane-Maria. Via Dominica News Online: The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved US$16.4 million in additional financing for Dominica to support ongoing projects in the areas of agriculture and infrastructure for climate resilience and economic recovery …

Greenhouse. Image: Jennifer C.
Agriculture
Climate-resilient greenhouse agriculture in the Caribbean

Writing for Forbes, Daphne Ewing-Chow profiles Alquimi Renewables LLC, a company working to address the Caribbean’s food insecurity through climate-resilient protected agriculture: Alquimi’s mission is for Caribbean farms to expand considerably in scale and diversity to the point at which they can augment local farming of indigenous crops and eventually …

Soil. Image: CIAT
Agriculture
How permaculture in the Caribbean can help mitigate climate change

Maintaining and improving soil health is an integral aspect of sustainable agriculture. Not only are healthy soils more productive, they also help to mitigate climate change by absorbing greenhouses gases from the atmosphere. As Daphne Ewing-Chow, writing for Forbes, explains, this is why regenerative agriculture, which reverses land degradation and …