Dear Editor,
There is a cattle nuisance at Britannia Village, Seafield/Tempe, West Berbice, Region 5. Editor, within the Seafield/Tempe NDC area, it only remains for cattle to climb up one’s step and sleep in one’s bed. If you purchase land to build a house you have to share it with cows, sheep, goats and thieves in West Berbice.
Former Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud was informed about this cattle nuisance within the area covered by Seafield/Tempe NDC.
Most of the cattle owners at Britannia Village are house-lot owners, and took the opportunity to buy cows, sheep and goats and put them to graze on the land of big proprietors and at Britannia Village, eg at the rear of the old railway line – our coconut farm. The livestock owners take a hundred head of sheep, goats and cows there, and whilst doing so, they pick our coconuts and sell them. Some make copra and sell to the van.
Our kitchen gardens in the yards are grazed down when people go to work and go about their daily business. Some of the cattle stray all over the place, and others even sleep on the public road day and night, damaging motor vehicles.
The Regional Office at Fort Wellington was contacted for assistance to impound these animals after they broke down our fence. The cattle farmers association held various meetings in West Berbice, but it was to no avail. The owners of the cattle lend a deaf ear, and proprietors cannot impound these strays on their land as they are confronted by cutlasses, pitchforks and other weapons. Even persons employed to catch the animals are afraid for their lives.
Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee promised to organize stray catchers, but to no avail. When one complains to the owners there is war – war – all over. Disgusted farmers went to former Local Government Minister Kellawan Lall for help.
Some of the cattle owners claim that they have land at Cabough [?] Ranch but they are afraid thieves will steal their cattle.
Proprietors at Britannia are asking the cattle owners to remove their cattle from their yards after they have broken wooden fences and left home-owners with the expense of assorted repairs. They are begging for something to be done by the relevant authorities to penalize this wilful trespass by the owners of grazing animals in our yards and public places.
The cattle owners are escaping the fines imposed in the Magistrate‘s Court. As they aware, there are no stray catchers to take the animals to the Weldaad Pound.
Yours faithfully,
Len Jameer
