Roaming goats in St. Eustatius.
ST. EUSTATIUS--The public entity St. Eustatius is implementing a long-term strategy for sustainable agriculture. One of the projects supporting this strategy is the introduction of an integrated approach for the removal of loose roaming livestock in combination with the development of sustainable livestock farming.
An initial grace period of six weeks started Wednesday, October 21, during which farmers and animal owners are granted the opportunity to catch and deliver the animals to the slaughterhouse in large quantities.
The farmers can decide during the grace period whether they want to continue with animal husbandry and how many animals they want to rear. It also enables stakeholders to make provisions to house the kept animals behind closed fences and to initiate preparation for sustainable animal husbandry with the support and guidance of the public entity’s Directorate of Economy, Nature and Infrastructure (ENI).
Special incentives for farmers and animal owners apply during the initial grace period, including reduced fees for fencing materials, financial compensation equivalent to the slaughter fees, increased meat prices when selling, and access to other subsidised materials.
An evaluation will be done close to the end of the grace period to check the success of the introduced measures. An extension of the grace period will be directly related to this evaluation.
After the grace period and a possible extension thereof, the first phase will commence which entails the removal of loose roaming animals in the urban area and Boven National Park Statia. Other parts of the island will be subject to the same approach in the second phase.
The project of removing animals is financed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and the public entity.
Loose roaming livestock are an increasing problem in Statia. Recent research indicates that since 2013 the number of goats and sheep has increased from approximately 3,700 to currently approximately 12,000.
The high number of roaming animals are causing major damage through erosion leading to sediment run-off and subsequent coral damage and a high negative impact for marine and terrestrial biodiversity which affects tourism and economic development. This is also an obstacle to agricultural initiatives.
In addition, the roaming animals cause safety issues due to road accidents, attacks by dogs and – sometimes – the slaughtering of animals. Therefore, it is considered necessary to start removing loose animals and simultaneously support animal-keepers and farmers to develop and implement a sustainable way of livestock-farming which creates opportunities for economic and social development.
With the project to remove roaming animals, the public entity acts according to the General Local Ordinance (“Algemene Plaatselijke Verordening”) APV 2018, which prohibits free-roaming livestock. This means that it is not allowed to let livestock run unattended on or along public roads or run free on another person’s property without their permission. Free-roaming livestock on domain land are also prohibited.
The public entity stated in a press release that during the preparation process, the public entity, St. Eustatius National Parks Foundation STENAPA and the animal owners and farmers “have worked closely together in a very constructive and positive way.”
In total three stakeholder meetings were held to inform and involve the animal owners. During a third meeting, which was held in early October, stakeholders agreed on the way forward, the public entity said.
“Animal husbandry is part of the culture of Statia and for many Statians the free-roaming animals provide an easier way to obtain meat. However, the number of free-roaming animals has outgrown the island’s carrying capacity and is contributing to several natural and social damages and interferences. A vision and strategy was needed.
“The vision of the public entity of St. Eustatius for sustainable agriculture is to promote food security, adequate food quality and food safety, to create economic opportunities by people empowerment, to foster a healthy natural environment and to increase self-sufficiency by developing human capacity and local resources. The execution of the project of roaming animals endorses this vision,” it was stated in the press release.
