Praedial larceny now attracts $3-million fine as amended agricultural produce law takes effect

Shari-Lee Crooks / Our Today

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The Agricultural Produce (Amendment) Act was tabled in Parliament and passed in late 2023 as a change to the original act that was passed in 1926.

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Floyd Green

The amendment was aimed specifically to handle the widespread issues of praedial larceny by increasing the fines associated with the offence.

During a briefing at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, portfolio minister Floyd Green made the disclosure that the amendment has been gazetted and is now in full effect.

When the amendment was originally tabled, leader of government business in the Senate and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, said the amendments is part of initiatives by the Government to stamp out the scourge of praedial larceny.

Against this backdrop, the maximum fine for breaches under the law has moved from J$250,000 or three months in prison, to J$3 million or three years.

The Praedial Larceny Act is also set for amendment and Green says proposed changes are currently with the Attorney General. He is hoping that it can be voted on by the Cabinet in this quarter and passed soon after that.

In the meantime, Green points out other initiatives that are aimed at discouraging praedial larceny by affecting the market for stolen livestock. These includes programmes to help health inspectors deal with the traceability of slaughterhouses and other places that sell meat that fall under their purview. Green suggests that issue remains as a loophole in their fight against the crime.

“The most effective way to treat with praedial larceny is truly cutting off the markets, so that people who steal things from people do not have places in which they can peddle them. That is part of the reason why we made some of the amendments in the Agricultural Produce Act,” the minister further stated.

Additionally, Green has stated that there are ongoing collaborations with the Praedial Larceny Unit and local farmers to sensitise and educate cattle farmers on measures that can help mitigate losses and help prevent them from falling victim to the crime.