Food Production Minister visited goat and sheep farm

June 15, 2012:

In June Minister of Food Production, Land and Marine Affairs, Vasant Bharath visited Marilissa Farms in South Trinidad.

The farm, nestled on 12 acres of undulating land, has a combined herd of 5,700 sheep and goats.

The Minster and his technical team met with owner, Lincoln Thackorie and toured the facility.

The visit was part of the Ministry's ongoing programme to travel the across the country visiting stakeholders.

The breeds of goats and sheep on the farm included Blackbelly, Dorper, Katahdin, Jacob and Polypay sheep; and Saanen, Nubian, French Alpine, Boer and Nigerian Dwarf goats. There were also macaws, rabbits, ducks, peacocks and other animals on the farm.

The Minister and his team toured the pens where the goats and sheep were housed and made a stop at the high tech milking unit.

The farm produces 500 liters of milk daily and Thackorie told Bharath that it is awaiting approval of its labeling by the relevant authorities. 

During the visit, Barton Clarke, local Representative of Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) donated portable milking equipment to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago which Minister Bharath accepted and then presented to John Borely, President of the Trinidad and Tobago Goat and Sheep Society, who highlighted the society’s strategic objectives and links to the Food Production Action Plan.

At the end of the tour, the society was invited to submit a proposal to the Ministry outlining five (5) specific areas in which they can assist in the attainment of the targets set out in the National Food Production Action Plan as it pertains to the livestock sub-sector.