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Dear Sir:

The keeping of cattle in SVG is usually a man keeping one or two cows. It’s time they were controlled.

Milking dairy cattle will drink 25-30 gallons of water per day; however, what a dry dairy cow, heifer or bull will drink depends on a lot of factors, including breed, physiological factors, reproductive factors, salinity of the feed, dryness of the feed, environmental factors, etc. Typically an animal will drink around 7% to 10% of their body weight in water per day.

Cattle in the tropics should have shade from the sun when they want it. Either trees or bush cover, or lean-to sheds.

In tropical climates and especially where there is a lot of salinity deposited on grass from sea-blast, these animals will need an even a greater water supply of fresh clean cool water.

Keeping animals tethered in the Caribbean tropics without a ready supply of clean water or shade from the sun, is little more than a criminal act.

I have watched cattle tethered in fields without shade or water. I noticed recently that a heifer was watered at 5.30pm each day by its owner with a plastic can of water tipped into a small plastic bath. This is unacceptable, not enough water, and at a time of day when the animal is feeling ill and has spent all day dehydrating.

Of course, ideally it is better to keep animals in a field that has a clean running water stream, or shallow river that they can stand in and drink all that they want.

It is time that Mrs Margaret Hughes-Ferrari, a solicitor and mother, and a good-willed, kind woman, took the recently formed Vincentian Society for the Protection of Cruelty Against Animals [VSPCA] to another level, round up all the starved and ill-treated dogs, and wherever possible prosecute the owners.

But for sure it will be easier to prosecute owners of cattle, because they are easier to trace and identify. No one will want their cattle confiscated and an order against them banning them from keeping animals for the next ten years and even for life. That is what happens in civilized countries. In fact, Margaret already has some expertise in impounding cattle -- when one ate her garden she simply impounded it and claimed compensation.

The world judges nations on how they treat their animals; SVG fall well short of being good husbandry facilitators.

Instead of filling villagers up with all sorts of crap about keeping chickens in their yards, which cost more to feed than buying chicken from CK GREAVES. Tell the people about how to properly look after their cattle. It may be that a licensing system needs to be put in place for cattle-keepers.

Introducing something else like chickens for them to be cruel to is not the answer to helping people feed themselves.

Blame the ignorance of the Ministry of Agriculture, and ultimately the ULP government, they have put forward the chicken thing for political motives. It’s just more crap to fool the people; Gonsalves is a master at that.

See the VSPCA Blog

Peter Binose

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Gersham Alexander:

I think that it is because of a lack of knowledge about the fluids needs of these animals why some farmers do not try to meet the hydration needs of these animals. Some farmers are also steeped in tradition. That was the way it was done for years. So people just continue to do it. More education is needed in this area. The Agricultural Instructors as they were called need to get this needed information to the farmers. Would they change their methods? That would take some doing. But it could be done. We need to tell them about the benefits to be had increase volume in the amount of milk the cow produces. More body weight for the bulls because of less heat stress, etc.

Peter:

Thank you GERSHAM for your response.

Remember when they fetched the seat belt law in SVG. No one would wear them. Then a fine of $2000 first offence, $5000 second offence, lo and behold everyone now wears them.

It’s not a matter of convenience or inconvenience for the farmer, its a matter of cruelty to animals.

The quality of beef is affected by their treatment whilst growing and during transportation and killing.

The local beef in SVG is tough and stringy, only suitable for stew beef, or minced beef. Because in some cases it is allowed to roam severely hilly areas it puts on excess muscle. When there is a restriction of water supply the animals dehydrate and the meat becomes tough and stringy. Much of the grass that the animals find is of low nutritional content compared to nice meadow grass.

Bull calves should be castrated, the animal then called a steer will put on weight and reach maturity in sometimes two thirds of the time required to raise a bull with its testis intact. The meat is of a better quality and because the beast is ready for slaughter at a much younger age, the meat is tender.
The problem is, ignorant farmers claim the testies at time of slaughter, they consider them a delicacy.

Its not the backwardness of the farmer that is the problem, its the backwardness and inefficiency of Ministry of Agriculture in dealing with such matters.

Gersham your quite right about the need for instruction, education and training.

Gersham thanks once again for your comment, and for your time to at least consider the situation. Most others just don’t give a damn.