Shell-shocked
Egg farmers worried about possible shortage this Christmas as production falls
Published:Saturday | September 14, 2024 | 12:05 AMLeon Jackson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
JAMAICA EGG Farmers Association President Mark Campbell says Jamaica could face a shortage of eggs this Christmas season as production has fallen since Hurricane Beryl impacted several farmers across the island.
“Most farmers who suffered structural damage to their henhouses have fixed that part of their operation. What has happened is that the pullets are responding negatively to the stress they have been going through post-Beryl,” explained Campbell.
He added that based on information from the farming community, egg production has fallen by about 25 per cent since July.
“This slowdown in production means farmers are facing a loss in their businesses. What we are looking at is that this is happening pre the [start of the] tourist [winter] season and the usual Christmas upsurge in demand,” said Campbell.
He said that for egg farmers to return to pre-Hurricane Beryl levels of production, they will need to beef up their chicken stock with pullets under a year old. These young pullets generally produce far more eggs than the older birds.
Oliver Smith, a senior salesman for Nutramix, a premier provider of pullets, said the hurricane took a heavy toll on his company.
“During Beryl, the company lost 40,000 birds, but despite this loss, we are expecting to begin the delivery of pullets by the middle of October. Once that is achieved, then the farmers will be able to meet their peak demand,” he told The Gleaner.
Campbell is hoping that Smith’s projection is accurate so farmers will not have to solely rely on the older birds for eggs.
“If this does not happen, we will have to depend on the granny pullets, who would have lost the height of their productive lives,” said Campbell.
Campbell is again renewing his call for the Government to remove the general consumption tax (GCT) on eggs.
“Egg is the cheapest source of protein, yet it is [among few] food items that attract GCT,” said Campbell. “There is no such tax on imported meats. This holds true for chicken parts to pork, mutton, or turkey neck. I am calling on the Government to level the playing field and remove GCT from eggs.”