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Home | Dairy Sector Loses 34,000 Litres of Milk from Passage of Hurricane Beryl
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the JDDB, Devon Sayers
July 16 (JIS):
The Jamaica Dairy Development Board (JDDB) is reporting the loss of 34,000 litres of cow’s milk as a result of the passage of Hurricane Beryl on July 3.
Data was collected through an islandwide Impact Assessment following the hurricane.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the JDDB, Devon Sayers, told JIS News that farm visits were done on July 4 at Rhymesbury, Toll Gate and Vernamfield in Clarendon.
“On Monday, July 8, farm visits were also done at Cabbage Valley, Luana and Elim in St. Elizabeth. A visit to Hanover was done at a later date. We assessed animal welfare and mortality, and structural damage to the milking parlours and holding areas that could impact the milking of animals and milk storage facilities,” he said.
Mr. Sayers said that of the five farms visited in Clarendon, some suffered structural damage to holding pens.
“We saw where the complete roof of some holding pens was destroyed as well as the 80 per cent UV shade cloth covering the dairy holding pen also being removed. Where possible, the Board lent support by providing a backhoe to clean out these holding pens. There was, however, no structural damage to milking parlours visited in Clarendon,” he said.
Generally, Mr. Sayers noted that only two farms in Clarendon sold milk after Beryl’s passage.
“These farms had generators producing electricity to chill milk. In St. Elizabeth, no milk collection was done by Island Dairies due to challenges at the company’s processing plant for about a week, thus forcing farmers to dump milk,” he said.
Further observations in St. Elizabeth also revealed several areas of structural damage to milking parlours, roofs, cooling areas and holding pens for bull and dairy calves.
“Due to the lack of electricity in the Black River/Luana area, farmers are dumping all the milk produced, as they were unable to chill the milk. We also saw where for one Agricultural Education Institution, the covered area containing the equipment used to provide electrical power for the milking parlour lost its roof. Damage was done to the fence line, as trees fell on the barbed wire.
Meanwhile, dairy farmers in Hanover suffered some structural damage with lost roofs and downed fence lines resulting from fallen trees.
Farmers wishing to report damage can reach out to the Board at 876 927 1731-50/876 618-7107.
