Against a backdrop of growing global focus on strengthening local food systems and boosting national food security, the Commonwealth of Dominica is set to convene a landmark two-day professional gathering focused on advancing its domestic livestock sector. Scheduled for September 22–23, 2026, the National Seminar on Poultry and Pig Production is being organized by the Livestock Development Unit under the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy, in partnership with two key regional and local stakeholders: the East Caribbean Group of Companies (ECGC) based in St. Vincent, and Jireh Animal Health Center, Dominica’s local agricultural input distributor. The event will take place at the St. Alphonsus Parish Hall, carrying a clear, mission-driven theme: “Produce Local, Consume Local, Secure the Future.”
Organizers project that roughly 85 attendees will participate in the seminar, representing a cross-section of the island’s agricultural ecosystem. These participants include active poultry and pig farmers, entrepreneurs looking to enter the local livestock production space, key agricultural sector stakeholders, government technical extension officers, and suppliers of agricultural production inputs. Beyond being a simple informational workshop, the seminar is a core preparatory step for the upcoming full launch of operations at Dominica’s new National Poultry and Pig Abattoirs, facilities designed to transform the island’s domestic livestock processing capacity.
The central goal of the event is to equip local producers with the knowledge and tools needed to align their operations with the new abattoirs’ strict requirements across four key areas: production volume, product quality, animal weight standards, and output consistency. The capacity of the new facilities underscores just how critical a consistent, high-quality local supply is: the national poultry abattoir is built to process up to 1,000 birds per hour, while the dedicated pig abattoir can handle 50 heads of swine per day. Without a steady stream of locally raised animals meeting the facilities’ standards, these new public investments cannot reach their full potential to support the domestic economy.
Seminar sessions will combine structured presentations and interactive collaborative discussions, covering a comprehensive range of topics critical to modern, profitable livestock production. Core thematic areas include optimized commercial farm management, science-backed animal nutrition and disease prevention, rigorous biosecurity protocols to prevent costly disease outbreaks, strategies to improve feed efficiency and reduce production costs, long-term and short-term production planning, alignment with domestic and regional market quality standards, and the development of stable, reliable supply cycles that meet abattoir and consumer demand.
Beyond delivering targeted training to individual producers, the seminar is designed to advance a broader structural goal: organizing fragmented local producers into a coordinated, formalized supply system that can reliably serve the new abattoirs. After the conclusion of the event, the Ministry of Agriculture has laid out a clear follow-up plan to extend the impact of the seminar. Ministry teams will work one-on-one with interested farmers to develop customized production plans, deliver ongoing on-site technical support, and implement regular farm monitoring to help producers implement the knowledge gained at the event. The government also plans to strengthen cross-stakeholder collaboration between producers, technical experts, input suppliers, and the abattoir management teams to create a more integrated, efficient local livestock value chain.
In a public statement encouraging participation, the Ministry emphasized that the seminar represents a unique opportunity for both existing and aspiring livestock producers to build skills, connect with industry partners, and contribute to a larger national goal. By expanding local poultry and pig production, strengthening the overall competitiveness of the domestic livestock sector, producers will play a direct role in advancing Dominica’s long-term food and nutrition security, reducing reliance on imported animal products, and strengthening the island’s rural economy.