Barbados’ leading agricultural advocacy organization has ratcheted up public pressure on the island nation’s government over its role in enabling increased poultry and pork imports, arguing that cheap incoming shipments are undercutting domestic production and pushing small-scale livestock farmers toward permanent closure, Barbados TODAY can exclusively report.
James Paul, chief executive of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS), the nation’s main farmers’ representative body, launched sharp criticism of the state-owned Barbados Agricultural Management Company (BAMC), accusing the entity of facilitating large-scale imports of both meat products even as domestic poultry and pork sectors have expanded output and operations with public support.
In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Paul outlined the dual concerns driving the organization’s frustration. “We have seen deliberate expansion of the local poultry industry, with government providing support through the BAS to help producers grow their operations. Today, there is more local poultry on the Barbadian market than ever before, with even large-scale producers ramping up output. Yet at the same time, the government is enabling more poultry imports from both regional and extra-regional markets,” Paul explained.
He warned that the flood of imported product has already left small-scale poultry producers unable to move their stock, a crisis compounded by tightening cold storage capacity at BICO, the island’s major cold storage facility. BICO recently announced it was operating near full capacity, and ongoing ownership changes at the company have amplified fears among small farmers, who have historically relied on BICO to store unsold chicken.
Paul explained that holding unsold poultry in cold storage cuts directly into already thin profit margins for small producers, who must pay storage fees even as they wait to sell their product. “Small producers are fighting for survival. Every dollar they spend on storage eats into their profits, and it pushes them closer to going out of business entirely. This dynamic actually benefits large domestic producers, and when you add the flood of imported meat into the mix, the deck is completely stacked against small operations,” he said.
The BAS chief confirmed that BAMC has facilitated recent dark meat poultry imports for a major local buyer, even as domestic output grows. “We have expanded local production, we have government-supported growth, and we are still bringing in more imported meat. Something is very wrong with this picture,” Paul emphasized.
He said the exact same imbalance plagues Barbados’ pork sector, noting that the industry has seen major expansion in recent years, with many small producers growing into medium-sized operations and millions of dollars invested in modern processing facilities. “We have expanded domestic pork production from the ground up, but we still allow large-scale imports of the same products. That is hypocrisy, plain and simple,” Paul argued.
Paul also pushed back on growing calls from some industry observers for local producers to cut their prices to compete with imports, calling the suggestion unfair and out of touch. “These are working people, small producers who rely on poultry farming to feed their own families. You are asking them to slash their already low incomes? That makes no sense when Barbadian consumers are willing to pay exorbitant prices for all kinds of other imported goods. They will even pay more for imported poultry than they do for local product. We are dealing with a clear double standard here.”
The BAS has been pressing the government to close existing tariff loopholes that benefit importers at the expense of small domestic producers. Paul added that BAMC, which holds the legal monopoly on poultry imports into Barbados from both Caribbean and international sources, needs to hit pause on new imports of turkey products and other poultry to protect domestic producers.
For the pork sector, Paul noted that reduced duties on specific imported pork cuts have led to a surge in incoming shipments, even after local producers invested more than $500,000 in expanding and upgrading their production facilities to deliver consistent, high-quality pork at competitive prices. “You cannot ask local producers to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars to grow their industry, then undercut them with cheap imported product through lowered tariffs,” he said.
Paul added that domestic pork processors are now unable to get popular cuts like loins and spare ribs onto supermarket and hotel shelves, even though imported options are often more expensive. Institutional buyers consistently choose imported product over local, he said, putting domestic producers at an unfair disadvantage. Newer pork processing entrants to the market face no requirement to source local pork, while long-standing local processor HIPAC is required to buy local product, creating an uneven playing field. Paul urged Barbadian consumers to continue supporting HIPAC products, as it is one of the only processors that guarantees a fair deal for local farmers.
In response to the growing controversy, the Ministry of Agriculture has scheduled a press conference for Tuesday to address the ongoing disputes in the poultry industry.