Saturday, September 27, 2014 | 9:07 AM
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Ministry of Agriculture will go ahead with plans of the late Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke to have animals – including pigs, sheep and goats – tagged under the National Animal Identification and Traceability System (NAITS).
Chief Technical Director, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dervan Spence said that while much attention has been placed on the tagging of cattle as part of efforts to combat praedial larceny, all animals will eventually be included in the system.
He was addressing pig farmers and other stakeholders at the 12th annual general meeting of the Jamaica Pig Farmers Association (JPFA), at the Golf View hotel in Mandeville, on September 25.
Spence said the animal tags are now on the island and the ministry is in the process of increasing its stakeholder sensitisation and public education sessions, to ensure the highest level of understanding and cooperation as the programme is implemented.
He pointed out that in relation to pigs, the computer software used for cattle tracking will be adapted to support the system to trace and monitor pigs from the farm to processing, packaging and export.
The Chief Technical Director also informed that while the national animal tagging system is expected to have the spin-off effect of aiding the Government’s praedial larceny efforts, the system is primarily aimed at addressing animal health, identification and traceability.
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Ministry to implement animal tagging system
