UC Rusal given two weeks to fix conditions for starving cattle
Published:Monday | January 30, 2023 | 8:53 PM
UC Rusal is facing possible charges in addition to a two-week ultimatum it has been given to remedy the conditions under which starving cattle discovered at its Kirkvine, Manchester, plant are kept.
The discovery of the 400 heifers and calves led to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries dispatching a team to the location last Thursday to assess the situation.
An emergency meeting with high level ministry personnel and members of the UC Rusal management team, along with representatives from the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (JSPCA), followed on Monday morning.
The ministry says coming out of those discussions, the company has been mandated to take immediate steps to remedy the conditions under which the animals are kept.
It says a two-week deadline was given for UC Rusal to stabilise the animals via prophylactic treatment and supportive therapy and then update the ministry and the JSPCA on the progress of the herd.
A team from the Ministry and JSPCA will reportedly be closely monitoring the situation.
The agriculture ministry adds that arrangements have been made through the Agro Investment Corporation and the Jamaica Dairy Development Board to provide supplemental feeding support with fodder and nutrients
The ministry says if the monitoring team is not satisfied that adequate actions were taken to alleviate the situation on site, the animals will be confiscated and placed into a government monitored quarantine facility and treated with the appropriate remediation.
Meanwhile, the ministry says the JSPCA will give further consideration to laying charges under the Cruelty to animals Act on UC Rusal.
Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.