Thursday, March 28, 2024

That’s it for me, says farmer

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THIEVES have finally succeeded in running St John farmer Agnes Browne out of business.This time around, they stole all of the chicken feed from a 20-foot silo at her Sherbourne farm.“I done with farming. I have made up my mind. I am getting old and I can’t deal with this anymore,” the 65-year-old woman cried yesterday.A clearly frustrated Browne could only look at the long trail of feed which the thieves left behind leading through the St John district.Browne, who has been farming here for more than 20 years with her husband Jeffrey, 80, said it was the fifth time that thieves had stolen feed from the silo. Climb to top“They obviously do not know how to get the feed out, so they climb to the top, go inside and take it out. We padlocked the top and chained it, but they are still getting in. “One day, I came out and found a T-shirt hanging out from the top and I called the police because I thought a body was inside but only the feed was missing.”Browne explained that she had been a farmer in her native Ireland, and she continued when she married and moved here.“I have six acres of land that is bare bush. We used to plant everything from cabbage, lettuce, carrots – you name it – and the thieves would come in and pull all of it out of the ground. Got frustrated“My daughter was doing it and she got frustrated and gave up. We have barbed wire, BRC, all types of fencing, but they would find every hole to come through. They have stolen chickens, turkeys, feed and even the medicine.”She said even using dogs as a security was a waste of time since they, too, had been poisoned.“My husband’s birthday was on Sunday, and I did not want to tell him anything, but I was so upset about this and he is not able to do this anymore, so I told him I am done with that.”And Browne said Barbadians should be concerned about food security.“It is not about the farmers and it is not about making money. Farmers are getting disillusioned and fed up. We produce good quality vegetables and meat but soon Barbados will be importing everything.”More must be doneShe felt more needed to be done to prevent praedial larceny.“There has to be a way to stop praedial larceny and petty larceny. This is not the 19th century, where I would have to sit down in the dark with a shotgun and wait for someone to come. That is not the way it is supposed to be,” Browne said.
•mariabradshaw@nationnews.com

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