Elderly farmer blames curfew for loss of bull worth $150,000

An elderly St Elizabeth farmer said that he lost a prize bull worth more than $150,000 because he could not be at his farm to watch his animal due to an islandwide curfew imposed by the Government to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Heucent Spencer, 87, said he tied the bull at his farm in Kept, and went home, only to return and find the animal dead.

"Mi is a man who go a mi farm early a morning time and stay late a evening time, but tru the government come een wid this curfew ting, mi haffi start leave mi yard late, and go home early," Spencer said. "Mi tie mi bull and come back inna the morning come see him heng. If mi neva haffi a run up an dung tru curfew hours, mi sure seh mi wud a have mi cow up to today."

TIME WASTED

The disappointed farmer said that he raised the animal since it was a calf, and was looking forward to cashing in on his labour. He laments that "all a mi time and money gone in vain, and a don't see a soul fi help mi".

While persons involved in the transportation of agricultural produce and those engaged in livestock farming or the poultry industry are exempted from the curfew orders that have been imposed to fight COVID-19, persons who have reached the age of 65 are required to stay home.

NO ID

To compound his misery, Spencer does not have a birth certificate or any Government-issued identification card. He did not apply for the Government's CARE programme, which provides respite for persons who have been impacted by COVID-19, because the system required him to do so online and he is not familiar with computers.

"The Government seh people inna fi mi age muss not come out a road, but things hard an mi caah jus sit dung suh. Mi guh a Santa Cruz and try fi get a loan but dem seh mi too old suh mi nuh qualify fi loans. Mi also try fi sign up fi get mi pension, but wen mi go a di office dem turn mi dung because mi don't have a birth certificate," Spencer said.