-at least three died en route from Brazil to Ebini
At least three of 300 pregnant heifers died during their transport from Brazil to Ebini in Region 10 and WIN and APNU yesterday flayed the government for what they described as poor arrangements and horrific conditions for the animals even as the livestock authority last night mounted a defence.
We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) had MPs stationed at various points along the travel route and uploaded images showing what appeared to be dead and suffering animals in hazardous circumstances and severe heat. With the transport arrangements to the Ministry of Agriculture’s Breeding and Research Centre in Ebini apparently hurriedly put together questions were also raised as to whether the heifers were originally intended to go to there or elsewhere.
Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and APNU parliamentarians hammered the government for the horrifying way the animals were being kept at the Tacama waterfront on the Berbice River with images showing makeshift planks set up to enable movement of the heavy-duty trucks.
Mohamed and the parliamentarians, who included APNU’s leader in the National Assembly Dr Terrence Campbell, both pointed out that there was no preparation to transport the animals to Ebini and they questioned whether the animals were indeed intended for that location.
Both sides streamed live videos, which showed the state the animals were being kept with some giving birth while others were seen in an obvious state of distress as they lay on the grubby floor of the trucks in sweltering sun days after they had arrived at the location.
Last night Dr. Dwight Walrond, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Guyana Livestock and Development Authority (GLDA) posted a short video and showed some cows running around in a green pasture which he said was the GLDA Livestock facility, indicating that the cows had arrived. “You can rest assure we have commenced our new stage of breeding programme…” he said.
The GLDA in its statement rejected what it described as “false, misleading and unsubstantiated claims” circulating on social media about the animals’ welfare, in obvious reference to the statements made by the opposition parties.
The GLDA sought to reassure the public that the health and welfare of the animals had remained “the highest priority” throughout the importation exercise.
“The Authority assures the public that the health, welfare, and humane treatment of the animals have remained the highest priority throughout the importation process. At no stage have the animals been neglected, abandoned, or transported without continuous veterinary supervision,” it said.
The agency said the cattle underwent a mandatory seven-day pre-export quarantine in Brazil, during which they were inspected, tested and certified as healthy by Brazilian veterinary authorities before being subjected to additional veterinary inspections upon arrival in Lethem.
It added that throughout the journey to Ebini, the cattle were transported under established animal welfare protocols, with mandatory stops every four hours during which they were provided with feed, water and electrolyte supplements.
Welfare
“During each stop, GLDA veterinarians and animal health personnel carried out routine welfare assessments to monitor the animals for any signs of stress, illness, injury, or fatigue,” the statement said.
The agency also rejected claims circulating online that the animals had remained confined in trucks for six consecutive days without food or water.
“The Authority therefore refutes assertions that the animals have remained continuously confined for six days. These claims are entirely false and disregard the established animal welfare procedures that have been implemented throughout the journey,” it stated.
Addressing delays at the Berbice River crossing, the GLDA said these were caused by tidal conditions and precautionary operational measures rather than poor planning.
According to the agency, veterinary personnel advised that the transfer of the livestock vehicles across the river be delayed until it could be done safely and the animals continued to receive food, water and veterinary attention throughout the wait.
While acknowledging that three animals died during the operation, the GLDA described the losses as isolated incidents.
“While any livestock mortality during transport is regrettable, these isolated losses were promptly documented and managed in accordance with established veterinary protocols,” it said.
The agency added that under the procurement contract, the Brazilian supplier is required to deliver all animals alive to the Ebini facility and will therefore be required to replace the three cattle “at no additional cost to the Government of Guyana or the Guyana Livestock Development Authority.”
The GLDA also rejected suggestions that the imported cattle were intended to benefit private interests.
Public assets
“The GLDA also wishes to make it unequivocally clear that these cattle are public assets, procured by the Government of Guyana as part of a national livestock development programme designed to strengthen the country’s genetic improvement initiatives, enhance national food security, and increase domestic livestock productivity,” the statement said.
“The animals are not associated with, nor intended for the benefit of, any privately owned or privately operated farm, as has been falsely suggested.”
The importation of the cattle has become the subject of mounting political controversy following videos and photographs circulated on Friday night, after which the GLDA issued a press release announcing the arrival of 300 pregnant heifers from Brazil.
Yesterday’s GLDA statement followed a livestream from APNU parliamentarians Sherod Duncan, Campbell and Saiku Andrews from the Tacama Landing in Region Ten, where they questioned the handling of the operation and alleged poor planning by the Ministry of Agriculture.
The APNU parliamentarians questioned the stage of pregnancy of some of the imported heifers after a video appeared to show one of the animals calving while still on a truck.
“Pregnant heifers being transported in this manner should be in the second trimester,” Campbell said. “The poor cow was either third trimester or stressed.”
Campbell also said that a cow seen in one image had died and alleged that there was “no vet in sight to support this operation”.
They reported that the animals had been stranded in trucks for more than 72 hours because of poor planning and inadequate arrangements to transport them across the Berbice River.
Campbell said information provided to him by unnamed ministry officials suggested they had received notice of the cattle’s arrival “at the very last minute,” leaving insufficient time to prepare the Ebini facility and river crossing.
The parliamentarian also questioned the suitability of transporting pregnant heifers over such a lengthy journey, alleging that the animals appeared stressed and emaciated and warning that the delays could lead to further deaths. “A trip, ideally, from Brazil to farm, should take about 36 hours,” he said, adding that “for more than 72 hours, these cows have been in Guyana.”
He further claimed that the Ebini farm was already facing challenges, including inadequate pasture, staffing shortages and poor accommodation for workers, raising concerns about its capacity to receive an additional 300 cattle.
Andrews echoed the concerns, saying the situation reflected “a lack of preparation” and questioned whether the cattle had originally been intended for Ebini. “If we are aware that 300 cows are coming all the way from Brazil, we have sufficient time to make preparation,” he said.
The MPs also questioned reports of animal deaths, the cost of the cattle and whether public resources were being managed transparently, while alleging that officials appeared to increase activity at the landing after they arrived to document the operation.
Displayed
In his live broadcast from Tacama, Mohamed displayed video footage showing cattle lying inside livestock trailers and said that several of the animals appeared exhausted after what he said had been days on the road.
“They’ve been in these trucks for six days,” Mohamed alleged, while urging the government to investigate the handling of the operation.
He questioned the decision to transport heavily pregnant animals over the route between Lethem and Ebini, arguing that the exercise reflected poor planning by the Ministry of Agriculture and the GLDA.
Mohamed also claimed that one of the animals had given birth while still inside a truck and alleged that others were showing signs of severe distress.
The Opposition Leader further questioned the cost of the importation exercise and called on the government to disclose the procurement process and the intended beneficiaries of the programme.
Mohamed also said that despite assurances from the Minister of Agriculture that veterinarians would be present to oversee the animals, not a single vet was on-site during his three-hour visit at Tacama. He also alleged that 15 cows had died.
The controversy surrounds the first shipment of 300 pregnant heifers imported from Brazil under the government’s programme to procure 1,000 animals to expand the national breeding herd. The cattle are being transported to the Ministry of Agriculture’s Breeding and Research Centre at Ebini, where they are expected to be incorporated into the national breeding programme aimed at improving livestock genetics and increasing local beef and dairy production. The government has said the animals were procured through a competitive tender process at a cost of $245,000 per heifer.
The opposition, however, has questioned both the execution of the project and the transparency surrounding its implementation, while calling for greater public disclosure of procurement, transportation and animal welfare arrangements.
Although the GLDA has denied that the imported cattle are destined for any private enterprise, opposition figures have continued to press the government for further details on the management of the programme and the eventual distribution of the animals.
The Ministry of Agriculture has not otherwise responded to the allegations beyond the GLDA’s statement.
The transport of the heifers has come in the wake of two other controversies that are yet unresolved: the movement of cattle from Brazil to an abattoir at Onverwagt and the disclosure of a sprawling farm belonging to President Irfaan Ali which also features various types of livestock including black belly sheep. Questions were raised publicly yesterday as to whether any of the heifers from Brazil had been intended for transport to the President’s farm.
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