In six weeks consumers may just have to find an alternative to chicken, as farmers across the island contemplate taking their product off the market.
This issue was raised Friday when members of the Egg & Poultry Association of Barbados met at the headquarters of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) to discuss a potential withdrawal from the marketplace.
Because some merchants are refusing to pay the 15 per cent increase for the whole chickens without giblets, an increase announced earlier, some chicken farmers are simply not supplying the market.
As it now stands, chicken farmers are suffering "tremendous losses", and as president of the association Wendell Clarke signalled, they are also reneging on their orders with the hatcheries.
"We have a major problem in that the feed costs went up four or five weeks ago and the farmers are encountering some additional costs that they cannot cover with the current control on prices."
Currently, whole chickens with giblets are subject to price controls under the Miscellaneous Provisions Act, which the association has appealed to Government to be amended.
Financial strain
"As a result, we're having a lot of businesses under financial stress, some hemorrhaging [and] some bleeding to the point where some farmers are dropping out of business," Clarke told the SUNDAY SUN.
"If the chickens are cancelled today, in a couple of weeks time we're going to have a scarcity of the product on the market."
Ronald Cave, a small farmer and owner of 5 200 birds, said he lost an average of $3 000 within the first two weeks of the price increase on feed.
Freddie Gale from Gale's Hatcheries also said he was recording losses of about $12 000 as farmers were not collecting chicks pre-ordered.
"Today we have a substantial number of chicks unplaced, and this is due to cancellations by farmers. They are concerned about the profitability of growing chicks if they can't get their feed costs covered," Gale added.
He said there was the likelihood the 8 000 one-day-old chicks would be destroyed if farmers did not go through with their orders.
Edward Albecker from Chickmont Foods said this was the first time the industry had experienced action by farmers.
"Will big companies take over the shareholding of the farmers?" Albecker queried, adding that his company was not prepared to take the shortfall in six weeks if the farmers dropped out of the market.
Clarke said there would be an emergency meeting on Tuesday at the Barbados Agricultural Society's Grotto headquarters at Beckles Road at 10 a.m. He wants all the stakeholders to attend.
michellespringer@nationnews.com