Dear Editor,
There are many places that you can go in the Rupununi and will see signs advertising that the region is free of the Foot and Mouth Disease. One would assume that since the Rupununi has been declared free of this animal disease that it would be easy for live animals to be sold anywhere in Guyana. But this is not the case. The movement of live animals is still prohibited.
This policy has had a detrimental effect on local farmers who are interested in selling live animals to businessmen on the coast, especially sheep. There has been a lot of interest in purchasing mutton from the Rupununi, because of its quality and cheap cost. However, the Georgetown businessmen prefer to transport the animals alive since it reduces the transportation costs and also allows the meat to be sold ‘fresh.’
