The government officially opened its new hatchery this week, marking a key step in its initiative to advance poultry farming and strengthen food security in Anguilla.
Quincia Gumbs-Marie, Minister of Sustainability, Innovation and the Environment, and colleagues cut the ribbon on the facility in The Valley, on Wednesday, 13 November.
Following the ceremony, some of the 4,000 day-old chicks, which had been flown in from Sint Maarten that afternoon as part of the project, were distributed to farmers.
The minister said Anguilla is now one step closer to having local farmers produce all of the chicken and chicken products that are consumed on the island.
Key milestone
The event began just after 4pm with speeches from those closely involved in the Department of Natural Resources-led project.
First to speak was the department’s acting chief Carencia Rouse, who told attendees that the initiative represents a key milestone in strengthening relationships with farmers in Anguilla.
It will also improve the quality of food produced in Anguilla, boost the health of the population, reduce reliance on food imports and build resilience against external factors like climate change, she said.
Rouse urged all of the island’s new and existing poultry farmers to provide accurate data on their feed production rates, egg production rates, and the overall behavioural trends of livestock.
“This will enable us to support them, understand, assess and monitor the impact of initiatives such as this with a view towards continuous improvement,” she said.
Dwight Carty, senior veterinary officer and project lead, who spoke next, said the initiative is a testament to the government’s unwavering commitment to increase poultry production.
“We are empowering our local farmers to increase high quality chick stock and provide consistent meat, poultry and eggs to consumers,” he said.
He thanked the minister for her “visionary leadership and support” and acknowledged the hard work of the staff and the stakeholders involved in bringing the project to fruition.
Quality eggs
Othlyn Vanterpool, representative of the Anguilla National Farmers’ Association and the future Poultry Association, said the project is timely because it has been hard to find produce in the supermarkets.
He encouraged local farmers to take the step toward poultry farming to enable the production of fresh, quality eggs and chicken.
“Buy a few chicks. Participate in the project, even if you fail once. I was knocked down several times and I got up again. But even if you fail once, it doesn’t mean that you’re a failure,” he said.
He congratulated the minister on her hard work and success along with everyone else involved in the project.
“We look forward together to having a fruitful working relationship, and we are one step closer to food security for Anguilla,” he said.
Gumbs-Marie told the gathered attendees that it was a “great honour” to watch work progress since she took over her ministry in 2022.
“It is amazing to see this area that was overgrown by bush turn into what it is now,” she said.
The minister said she hopes to eventually see the island’s farmers produce all locally-consumed chicken and chicken products, and there to be stickers to confirm that they are local and organic.
She explained that the day-old chicks are being sold at less than half price at EC$7.37, and said that eventually chicks will be hatched on island.
Following prayer, the national song and the speeches, the ribbon was cut on the facility and attendees were given a tour.
Watch the ceremony in full here.
