The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

UPGRADES to agricultural health and food safety systems in the country are on the horizon after stakeholders engaged in a two-day think tank session this week.

Officials met at the British Colonial Hilton to collaborate on an action plan for the effective implementation of a modernised legal framework currently before Cabinet.

Led by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the workshop hosted officials from Ministries of Health, Environmental Science, Agriculture, and representatives from the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation as well as the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO).

IICA representative Manuel Messina said: “(The workshop) was held specifically to find a way that the different multinational organisations can help the government implement plans brought in by the legislation to modernise agricultural food health and safety.

“Once approved there will be several steps to implement in order to align the country with the different international conventions, things like modernising, having proper labs to inspect the produce that the people consume.”

He added: “Everything related to making sure consumers get a proper product, the hotels get safe food and that the products that are exported from the Bahamas to other countries can be assured for food safety.”

Paired with an effective action plan, Mr Messina said the new legislation will assist the government in it’s participation with the World Trade Organisation, and Economic Partnership Agreements with the European Union.

Mr Messina said: “The current legislation is very old so there is a need for updating this, which will help modernise and help the country comply with international agreements.

“A few months ago, we did an assessment on the situation of plant health, animal health and food safety in the Bahamas - along with other stakeholders and the results of those we are now looking at them to turn them into an action plan on what should be done, what persons should be hired, what training should they receive, and what equipment and infrastructure are needed to implement all this,” he said.

Mr Messina commended the government for giving the agricultural sector a much needed boost, adding that the IICA was prepared to provide technical support over the next few years.

“When we talk about food safety, it’s not only about what you send to other countries or what tourists consume; it has to be something for everybody,” he said.

“Fortunately, the Bahamas has been doing very well. This is a way to enhance future possibilities, to grow markets for local production of animals and plants, to help having proper labs for inspection, to make it even safer.”