Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Indar Weir today promised that new legislation governing praedial larceny will provide better protection for farmers on the island.Leading off debate in Parliament this morning on the Protection of Agricultural Products Bill, 2022, Weir announced that one of the major changes would see penalties for persons found guilty of praedial larceny being significantly tougher, with a maximum fine of $100 000 or five years in prison.He said the previous maximum fine of $5 000 was simply not enough to deter criminals.“All of the farmers were adamant, all of the stakeholders were adamant; the BAS [Barbados Agricultural Society], all of the farming organisations were adamant that the penalties were not stiff enough and that people were only getting a slap on the wrist,” Weir explained.“Therefore, the recommendation was for the fine once convicted to go to $100 000 or five years in prison. These should serve as a deterrent to people who engage in praedial larceny.”
