The Quill
~ Roaming animals to be removed ~
ST. EUSTATIUS--Animal farmers that are registered at the Chamber of Commerce who agreed with the public entity St. Eustatius OLE to have their roaming animals removed will continue to benefit from the provided incentives.
These inducements have been discontinued for non-registered farmers and hobby farmers as of April 30.
The provision of the incentives also ends for registered farmers at the Chamber of Commerce and at the agriculture desk (former LVV) who are not willing to come to a written agreement with the OLE to remove their roaming animals.
The inducements include reduced fees for fencing materials, financial compensation equivalent to the slaughter fees, a higher price for their animals at the slaughterhouse, and access to other subsidised materials.
The directorate of Economy, Nature and Infrastructure (ENI) continues with the removal of roaming animals in urban and surrounding areas. Consistent with the revised plan of approach, the main focus in the first phase is the removal of large cattle (cows) and pigs.
The majority of removed animals will be brought directly to the slaughterhouse. The removal process is currently being carried out in a joint effort with the cattle owners. The OLE encourages other animal owners who want to professionalise their business to contact the agriculture desk at (599)-318-2757.
Loose roaming livestock is an increasing problem. The high number of loose animals is causing major damage through erosion, leading to sediment run-off and subsequent coral damage. This has a high negative impact for marine and terrestrial biodiversity on the island which affects tourism and economic development. It is also an obstacle to agriculture initiatives.
In addition, the roaming animals cause safety issues due to vehicular accidents and dogs attacking and sometimes killing the animals. As a result, ENI started removing the roaming animals as of last year.
Simultaneously, support is being provided to the animal farmers to develop and implement a sustainable way of livestock farming which creates opportunities for economic development and people development.
Last year, on October 21, a grace period was introduced to support the local animal farmers in implementing a sustainable way of livestock farming. Thereby the animal owners and farmers got the opportunity to catch and deliver animals to the slaughterhouse in large quantities and receive compensation for the delivered animals.
