MORE MONEY!

That's what the Government needs to offer if it wants to speed up its giant African snail eradication programme.

Former consultant to the Ministry of Agriculture snail eradication programme, David Walrond, suggested that authorities double the bounty which now stands at 50 cents per pound of captured snails.

"I think the failure of the Government to attract people to the recent snail kill effort has something to do with the size of the bounty - 50 cents for each pound of snail," he said in an interview.

"That would work well in the rainy season, where every turn you make you see snails. But these days are very warm and the snails are into estivation [a period of inactivity], with their shells covered.

"Some people who spend a whole morning and collect only 100 pounds of snails will say it isn't worth their while."

Walrond, who had a ten-month stint with Government last year, said the poor turnout might reflect an inadequate public relations campaign and below-par planning.

"Town hall meets can work if handled properly," he told the DAILY NATION. "Government needs to take in the recommendations and concerns of the affected residents, rather than make decisions in the office and turn up on their doorsteps one day, telling them what they should do.

"Government also has to involve the DEOs [District Emergency Organisations] in the planning of snail eradication exercises. Don't plan and then call in the DEOs to help you."

Walrond also called for a sustained effort to eradicate the giant African snail in gullies, using an environmentally sensitive programme.

"They come out of gullies when they are overly infested, running out of space and they have internal strife over that space. Snails are not interested in being on anybody's lawn or on their walls. They prefer the gullies and Barbadians encourage them by illegal dumping, both vegetation to feed on and appliances to provide shade."

Walrond said that both the pellets and liquid used by the Ministry of Agriculture to kill snails have their shortcomings.

"Snails are attracted to the bait by smell, but if the snail doesn't have a developed sensory organ, it won't pull them," he said. (TY)