The Barbados Egg and Poultry Producers Association (BEPPA) and its members who are complaining about how the importation of turkey and poultry wings is affecting their livelihood have been unfairly accused of “nitpicking.”
This is according to the CEO of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS), James Paul who was speaking at a press conference on Thursday in his office.
He stated that when other organizations and their respective members get up and start talking about how various circumstances in Barbados are affecting them, they are not accused of nitpicking.
“I want to say this you know. We have been accused in very uncharitable words as nitpicking which it is amazing how we have this seeming stratification of sectors...Now when the BHTA – and I want to make this case very clear – complains about things, they are not told that they are nitpicking. When the Chamber of Commerce people speak they are not told that they are nitpicking. When these people get up and say that they do not know how to implement the two percent duty, they do not say that they are nitpicking.”
However, when the BEPPA does the same exact thing, they are accused of being critical and this is something which concerns him especially in the year of 2016 as this island gets ready to celebrate its 50th anniversary of independence.
“And I really take umbrage to the fact that this industry that has a very responsible attitude to a country that is ...50 years old and this year that we are celebrating independence can be told that we are nitpicking. We are talking about the livelihood of ordinary persons. However, be that as it may,... we would continue to represent the stakeholders in the industry in the best way that we can possibly.”
And nitpicking they are not, stated the BAS CEO because clear evidence indicates that when these imports stop, the local industry thrives.
“If you examine the import figures from 1980 onwards, one would recognize that there is every truth to the statement that the uncontrolled importation of wings or poultry products in general into Barbados does have a significant impact on poultry production. As a matter of fact, the historical evidence the historical evidence in terms of data cleanly shows that whenever there has been a cessation of imports, the industry has thrived as we know the industry.” (PJT)
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