Dear Editor,
As we enter 2007, cattle rearers in Region 2 are wondering if they have to endure another year without proper facilities for grazing and cattle rearing.
For a number of years the farmers have been calling on the authorities to provide communal cattle pastures to keep cows, sheep etc. off the roads, especially in Anna Regina but not much has been done.
The roaming animals trample and destroy parapets in the town; they destroy residents’ kitchen gardens; they invade rice fields and devour young and mature paddy plants; the sight and odour of their faeces on the roads cause nausea for residents and during the rainy season the swarms of flies that feast off their droppings create serious health problems in various communities.
Added to this, stray animals on the public road have caused numerous accidents with resultant casualties, fatalities and major damage to vehicles.
It is fashionable now to blame the owners, but are they wholly to be blamed? Without pastures where are the farmers going to keep their animals? It was learnt recently that the authorities are contemplating raising pound fees to $10,000 per stray that is caught.
While this may be applicable in other parts of Guyana where communal pastures have been provided, it is unrealistic in Region 2 where no such facilities exist, especially at Anna Regina, the Region’s capital. The former communal pasture was converted to rice cultivation several years ago and it seems that the authority is unwilling or unable to reclaim it.
Another point to note, the Anna Regina Town Council derives considerable revenues from impoundment fees each year. Could this be another reason for the lack of action?
Farmers need communal pastures in Region Two.
Yours faithfully,
Frederick Gilbert
