Below is a letter written by PM Browne to the Ms Valerie Edwards of the Poultry Layers Association: CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATS APP GROUP
Excellency,
In light of the Poultry Association resistance in rolling back the increase in the wholesale price of eggs by almost 20 percent, your failure to consult with stakeholders and the impact on the poor and vulnerable who consume eggs as a major source of protein; kindly note that tomorrow, the Cabinet will consider removing all duties, taxes and restrictions on the importation of eggs.
This is to provide consumers, especially the poor and vulnerable with more affordable alternatives.
In addition, we will mandate more regular inspections of poultry farms, to determine if the sanitary and phytosanitary conditions in which local eggs are produced is satisfactory.
This is to address the cases of Salmonella poisoning and potential deaths from anti microbial resistant diseases, that are estimated to kill up to 50 million people globally in the next decade, in the absence of improved sanitary and phytosanitary conditions and new antibiotics to treat those resistant microbial diseases.
As a government, we are duty bound to contain prices in the interest of all, especially in light of increase in global inflation and its attendant challenges to consumers globally.
The concessions including the exemption of duties and taxes on all inputs including chicks and feed, the 40 percent tariff on imported eggs, as well as, the 25 percent subsidy on water were designed to keep the cost of domestic eggs at affordable levels.
Your association has increased egg prices by over 40 percent within the past two years, far in excess of the peak inflation of 10 percent in 2022.
Your association has failed to contain prices and is now seeking to transfer its inefficiencies to consumers. We note that your association has given a number of spurious reasons for the increase, including heat waves and the two percent increased in ABST, which does not apply to egg production or the retail of eggs which is exempt from ABST.
In the absence of justifiable reasons to support your claim it a 20 percent increase in production cost, our government is now forced to liberate the egg market, to drive egg prices down, in the interest of consumers.
Your stubborn insistence on hiking wholesale price of eggs to $14, with a possible retail price of $18-19 per dozen, has forced us to pursue this course of action.
Please note that your association is responsible for any consequence/s to local producers, arising from the Cabinet’s forced decision to liberate the market in the protection of consumers.
Please be guided accordingly.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATS APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATS APP GROUP
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
I want local business to thrive but thr prices are too high for the poor quality. Eggs too small. Cracked. For that amount of money
Great move…
blame it on the HEAT!!!
most times the eggs are soo TINY and CRACKED underneath. Have to examine each egg closely before buying the carton.
And that’s the beginning of a trade war between egg farmers and the government. Let’s hope the end result is lower and affordable prices fit the consumers
And perhaps the egg farmers should sell directly to the end consumer and cut out the middle man
CUT OUT THE MIDDLE MAN for real….last time she go through a middle man, he end up knuckle me. Good lesson in life and in love: CUT OUT THE MIDDLE MAN!
Time to take a stand, Mr. P M. Do not allow the egg CARTEL to enrich itself at the expense of the poor and vulnerable. Do not allow them to take advantage of your naturally generous spirit to lure you into accommodating their greedy and selfish plots. Once the egg CARTEL fails to justify their seemingly arbitrary increase in the price of eggs, then they have pitted themselves against the working class who depend on affordable eggs with which to feed their families or sustain their businesses. Mr. PM, as champion – batman even – of the ordinary residents of Antigua and Barbuda, you are expected to challenge the high handedness and insensitivity of the Egg CARTEL. We all desire to thrive economically but fairly and honestly.
I hereby announce that The Antigua Chicken Union will respond to the government’s heavy-handed approach by authorising their union members (their chickens) to stop laying their eggs and to go on strike on Wednesday.
Any union member caught crossing the chicken picket line will be pecked, scratched and run off the coop by their former comrades. All traitor chickens will be stripped of union membership and sent to the local KFC or Chinese restaurants for immediate termination.
We await the government’s response.
Respectfully,
The Antigua Chicken Union
This move is quite welcoming.
So much for SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FARMER.
If they cannot provide financials in terms of figures, let them provide in terms of percentage ratio, sales being 100% and all other line items in relation to the sales. That way we can see what percentage their Gross Profit is from the Sale and what percentage the other operating expenses are from sales and what is left as net profit in percentage of Sale.
And the thing about Gaston is that he will do what he feels is right without worrying too much about what people think.
Kudos to you Prime Minister Browne! You know it’s a problem when people can’t even afford to buy eggs because of this greedflation. I’m truly grateful for the fierce unapologetic leader that you are.
Whilst Gaston Browne ah talk ’bout eggs 🥚 🥚 🥚, the Prime Minister of Barbados 🇧🇧 the Very Most Honourable Mia Mottley takes on world’s leaders:
https://youtu.be/2B-Q-f6ajZJ?s=aYxyBKmuBORx1cvN
One deals with chickens 🐔 🐔 🐔, and the other highlights the greed, avarice and destructive nature of the Western super powers!
Omelettes anyone?
THAT’S WHY I’M THE BEST …
What there are only egg Cartel? What about the supermarkets that hike up the price of good almost weekly without control? This too falls under your portfolio DAWG. In fact,your price control and consumer affairs is a joke,just like you.
You were advised how to put a control on cost of living but you’re so damn bad-minded ( Adam Stewart’s words) you will not listen. Ever seeking relevance to prop up the failed state you’ve brought us into.
You have truly outworn your usefulness (Not that you ever had any).
The foreign eggs in the supermarket (when there’s a shortage locally) are priced at the same rate as local eggs. The only reason why they may now be cheaper than local is due to the government removing taxes and duties (i.e one of the government’s/our sources of income on goods). If the government can so readily cut it’s revenue for the sake of citizens getting a relief on prices, then the government could of also found ways to lower the amount the local poultry farmers have to spend on supplies etc.
That would of been more beneficial to the country to have persons within the local sector make a living and contribute to the economy.
The way it’s done now is more like trying to strong arm and punish the producers.
This man is as dumb as they get, yes I said it.
This PM gave himself and politicians a 14% pay raise, jack up taxes on businesses, jack up taxes on the money exchange businesses, squander millions on the Air Peace deal, fail to fix the dilapidated Government buildings all over the place, and now here he is talking about egg farmers should lower their prices!
The dumb hypocrisy of these people is just alarming and just doesn’t make any sense to me, other than this self centered PM just love all the clout he gets from his dumb followers..smdh.
Make it make sense please..but I guess like Donald Trump, the people that follow Gatson Browne are as dumb as he is.
Not just eggs but the gas prices, and the prices of goods in the supermarket, also those shops that are selling expired goods need to look into, the right price the goods suppose to be they are cutting the price and sell expired goods
Well last night the Poultry Layers Association represented by Ms. Valerie Edwards and Mr. Hall I believe it was, were on Observer Radio to defend their action of their price hike. That is all well, cause the public has the right to understand their issues. Although I keep saying, when you make your case, bring the books so that we can examine. She was very offended by the statement of the prime minister saying that they are passing through their inefficiency to the customer. I guess words hurts, but when the poor cannot afford to buy eggs anymore to whom will they sell these eggs. Should we call out to the people to use an alternative source of protein other then egg. And one thing baffles me is why now that they have been called out, that they can find the time to come and explain their plight to us. In fact they should have requested a meeting with the Cabinet or the Minister of Trade long before to see what solutions can be found. One thing I hope that will come out of this meeting with Cabinet today is that some sort of price control needs to be put in place. Certain costs can be included in the production of eggs, but others that are in control of the farmer needs to be exempted and only efficiency will determine how high this is. And than the markup needs to be set. Perhaps at 20%, which should cover the overhead and profit. In lots of businesses in this country all inefficiencies are being passthrough to the customer and that is so unfair. Take for example if a contractor give you a price to build your house. If he has cost overrun for whatever reason he charge you extra and if you do not pay him, well he just won’t finish your house. And their is nothing you can do about it. And this is so with everything in this country. No one absorbs their own inefficiencies. We need to have a price build-up like that of WIOC. That way we have a government price controlled egg market. But I don’t think it will work. Too much government involvement into private businesses. And as I said before I believe in the free market principle. If in the end their is no space for the local farmers to compete then so be it. If I can import eggs from lets say China and sell them cheaper than anyone else, as long as I do not compromise on the quality, than I should be able to do so. And we need to separate the local eggs in different quality groups. The Association should do some quality control and provide certain farmers and their eggs with a grading. e.g. A, AA, AAA etc. Organic and what not more. And when you buy a dozen eggs and open the box they are not all of the same size. Well I can tell you something I’m guilty of as well. I will open several boxes and mix my own box until I have twelve eggs that pleases me. And the cartoon need to be sealed. Only the cashier should break the seal to ensure that all eggs are of good quality. It has happened to me that I was making an omelet and on egg was spoiled as I broke it into the other. Of course this meant I had to throw the entire batch out. The lesson I learned was never to break an egg in the other batch. break it separately.
I back the prime minister 100% to go after a low egg price, but he can’t tip toe around epicurean st Phillips north MP supermarket.
And what’s up with those tiny eggs being sold for the same price as regular ones? Y’all must be joking. Is the heat responsible for these “preemie” egg sizes? I went into Chase, opened a carton, and was greeted by eggs that looked like they needed more time in the hen! And on top of that, you’re raising egg prices? Cheups!
Comments are closed.