Jamaica’s Pork Glut as Illegal importation spurs Antibiotic Resistant Superbacteria

“We currently have some 500,000 kilograms of pork in storage, for the first time ever”

President of the Jamaica Pig Farmers Association, Hanif Brown, telling The Gleaner about the status of the Pork Industry in Jamaica.

Readers of my blog, I'm sorry to say but I told you so!

Jamaica is now experiencing a glut in Pork as reported in the article “Pork Glut Hits Local Industry” Published Wednesday February 22, 2017 by Christopher Serju, The Jamaica Gleaner.

A press Conference is being held on Wednesday February 22^nd 2017 at the St Andrew office of the Ministry of Agriculture on import permits for Pork and the status of the ACB (Agricultural Credit Board).

President of the Jamaica Pig Farmers Association, Hanif Brown, has disclosed that since October 2016, there has been indications that Pork sales were not increasing, quote: “Farmers were calling and telling us that places they normally sell to were saying, 'Listen, we don't need so much pork right now”.

I'd pretty much predicted the same thing for not only Pork but also chicken and Eggs as noted in my blog article entitled “How excess Jamaican production, imports of Eggs, Pork and Chicken in 2016 threaten 2017”.

So too had the Opposition, claiming that the importation of pork is causing a glut on the local market as pointed out in the article “Opposition concerned about issues in the agricultural sector”, published Monday, February 20, 2017, The Jamaica Observer.

So how bad is it really?

Glut affecting Caribbean Broilers Group - Opposition point scoring on Pork Glut

It’s beginning to affect the large player in the Pork Industry as well!!

Corporate affairs manager for the Caribbean Broilers Group, Dr Keith Amiel, points out that the company was also having problems thanks to too much pork left over from Christmas 2016, quote: “We have both whole carcasses and every cut of pork in storage. We produced at a rate that was required for the Christmas and tourist industry, but what apparently has happened is that the rest of people, having made money out of pork last year, decided to keep (and breed) more sows than would be advisable, based on the amount of takeoff during the year, up until Christmas. So that they are finding it difficult and get rid of finished products in the usual way”.

According to the Spokesman on Agriculture Dayton Campbell, the importation of cheaper pork has been driving local farmers out of business since Christmas, quote: “It is understood that there is an exodus of pig farmers leaving the industry as local pork is displaced by cheap imports including major shipments of ham in the run-up to Christmas last year. Local processors of ham are said to still have large stockpiles of the product as increased production done in anticipation of a huge Christmas demand remain unsold in cold storage. As a result, the processors have reduced their purchase of pork from pig farmers, who are facing severe financial hardships as a result”.

Interestingly, Minister of industry, commerce, agriculture and fisheries, Karl Samuda, has fired all of the board members of the ACB, who has oversight for the NPCB (National People’s Cooperative Bank) as noted in the article “Measures in place to prevent another PC Bank scandal”, published Tuesday, February 21, 2017 by Alphea Saunders, The Jamaica Observer.

This may be a cover-up for the growing scandal uncovered by Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis. But I suspect the health implications are a little more serious!

Jamaica's Pork Glut - Pork importation to spur Antibiotic Resistant Superbacteria in Jamaica

 Pork importation is illegal, as according to Hanif Brown, no such permits have been issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, quote: “Two ministers have assured me that there have been no permits granted for the importation of pork. They indicated that the quantity of bellies and pig's tail that they grant permits for last year was the lowest ever, over the last five years. I believe the ministry, but does it mean that some individual or somebody could not have brought in pork?”

Guess Mother's may also be experiencing a decline in Pork patties as detailed in my MICO Wars blog article entitled “Why Mother’s Pork Patty a hit in 2016 as Pork is now Popular”. 

But it's much more serious that just selling Pork patties and pork cuts at the supermarket; we might be introducing Antibiotic Resistant Superbacteria to the people of Jamaica, potentially creating a huge health risk as noted in my blog article entitled “How US Pork Imports will cause JA$73.4 billion jobs lost and Antibiotic Resistant Superbacteria due to Jamaican Pork Shortage”. 

 So the glut is real; so too is the risk of Antibiotic Resistant Superbacteria spreading in Jamaica!