Free roaming livestock and pets are operational hazards many motorists, pedestrians, homeowners and farmers in Nevis have to deal with on a daily basis as they go about their business.
Nevis Premier Mark Brantley, on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, called on pet and livestock owners to keep their animals under control.
“There has been a high incidence of damages to crop farmers over the past months and also road accidents involving animals. You cannot simply open your pens in the morning and set your animals loose onto the roads…that is not the way to go,” he said while noting the practice of allowing animals to free roam is causing friction in the community.
“We are asking dog owners to keep their dogs under proper control. There have been far too many reports recently of dog attacks on animals causing animal farmers to suffer great economic loss. Dogs are not only attacking animals, we have had some instances of dogs attacking people as well. So I appeal to dog owners to do the right thing as well.”
The premier is encouraging farmers, who are having issues accessing land to graze their livestock, to come into the Department of Agriculture where the team will work with them to address the matter since ensuring food security for Nevis is a top priority.
He said the Nevis Island Administration will consider other measures to curtail free roaming if farmers and pet owners do not head his appeal.