MEDIA RELEASE
Agriculture Minister: EMBD Investigating Claxton Bay Incident
The Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, Senator the Honourable Clarence Rambharat, said that the Estate Management and Business Development Company Limited (EMBD), is currently investigating the incident at Bellview Gardens, Claxton Bay. The Minister remarks came as he responded to a question in the Senate earlier today (Friday 17th September, 2021).
Reading directly from a correspondence written to the Minister of Energy and Energy Industries, the Honourable Stuart Young from the Chairman of the Estate Management and Business Development Company Limited (EMBD), Mr. Ronnie Mohammed dated September 15th, 2021. The Honourable Minister said, “EMBD personnel visited the area of the affected houses and reported that one house had collapsed and another appears to be moving and an internal investigation team was immediately assigned to investigate the complaints.”
He added: “This team comprised of a Quantity Surveyor, Project Manager, Security Manager and Land Surveyor as well as a representative from the Quarry Contractor and Operator. Given that the matter involves land slippage, the EMBD has also asked Mr. Charles Alleyne, a Geo-Technical Expert to conduct a site visit with EMBD personnel today (Friday 17th September, 2021) with a view of assisting with the investigations, in particular, on advising technically on the potential or the actual cause of the land slip. As of 15th September, 2021, the EMBD has halted all quarrying operations as a pre-cautionary measure pending these investigations. This is a Preliminary Report and we shall revert with you a more complete report once investigations into this matter proceed”.
The incident is very unfortunate Minister Rambharat said, and he has also asked the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services for its intervention in assisting the families of the area.
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Media Release- Agriculture Minister -EMBD Investigating Claxton Bay Incident
The deadline for submissions has been extended to Friday 3rd September 2021
Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture:
Local Pluck Shop Industry in a Good Place
Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, Senator the Honourable Avinash Singh said the local Poultry Cottage Processing Industry (Pluck shop Operators) is currently in a good place but with the continued efforts of all it involved it can be even better. He added, that the sector has the potential of becoming a model industry which other jurisdictions can follow.
The Minister was speaking at a virtual workshop titled “The Promotion of Food Safety and Meat Hygiene in the Poultry Cottage Industry in Trinidad and Tobago on Monday 23 August 2021 jointly hosted by the Food and Agriculture (FAO) of the United Nations and the University of the West Indies (UWI). He said despite the challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Agriculture Ministry has seen an increase in the number of pluck shop operators, especially in the rural areas in Trinidad and Tobago.
In our viewpoint, these are indeed encouraging signs, and it all goes well for the future and success of the industry.
The global Poultry Cottage Processing Industry itself has evolved over time, with new technology and improved food safety and hygiene practices being established. These are significant developments because it extends from the operational side, right down to the consumers who are the primary stakeholders, since they are the ones who trust the management processes at these various pluck shops and in so doing, making it a commercially viable entity, Minister Singh said.
The Minister also encouraged attendees to implement some of these new innovative practices into their own businesses, as it will assure them viability and success in the long term. Also making notable contributions at the workshop were, Mr. Reuben Robertson, FAO Representative for Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname and the University of the West Indies (UWI) and Dr. Saed Rahaman, Director Veterinary Public Health, Ministry of Health.
Note: The Local Pluck Shop Sector currently employs on average between 10- 15,000 persons and processes about 300,000 of the 800,000 chickens produced a week. Furthermore, data has also shown that between 35- 40% of all poultry produced in this country on an annual basis are marketed and sold through our local pluck shops.
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Contact: Corporate Communications -Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries
Email: comms.malf@gov.tt| Website: agriculture.gov.tt
