New Animal Breeds Land in Saint Lucia Under CERC- UBEC Project

Anticipation builds within the livestock sub sector with the introduction of 20 new resilient animal breeds, promising to transform the island’s agricultural landscape and increase farming production.

Fulfilling one of the actions under the Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC) of the Unleashing the Blue Economy of the Caribbean (UBEC) Project, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security, and Rural Development has landed twenty (20) new animal breeds onto the island, as part of the ongoing strategy to enhance and diversify the quality of agricultural produce available to local farmers.

These breeds,  sourced from various states across the United States of America,  include cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs, and were chosen for their resilience and ability to acclimatise to the island’s tropical conditions.

The animals are currently housed at the newly established Volet Station in Micoud which will serve as a hub for their adaptation and eventual distribution to farmers across the island.

Project Manager of the UBEC Project, Shermaine Clauzel says the introduction of these breeds is expected to improve the genetic pool of local livestock, leading to better produce and increased farming efficiency.

“We started by finding a suitable vendor in a part of the world where we were assured that we would get animals not susceptible to diseases we’ve seen in the past, and animals that can survive the temperature here. We eventually found a ranch in the US that provided support. They were able to identify pigs, cattle, sheep, and goats, and help our team visit these farms, select the animals, house them in quarantine for a while, and now they’re being installed at the facility here in Volet.”

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Rural Development, Hon. Alfred Prospere in highlighting the importance of this undertaking says the agriculture ministry is committed to providing farmers with the best resources to enhance their productivity and livelihoods.

As he explains, an artificial insemination lab will be commissioned in the coming weeks to propagate these breeds, enabling controlled breeding and ensuring that a rapid expansion of high-quality livestock varieties are readily available to farmers across the island.

“I must say I am very happy with what I’ve seen so far. I’m hoping that the Ministry of Agriculture will really use this opportunity to develop the livestock sector significantly, especially with the artificial insemination program that we are going to commence as part of this initiative.”

This week’s introduction of twenty quality breeds into the local livestock sub-sector underscores the importance the agriculture ministry has placed on establishing productivity as the industry modernises.