Members of the Caribbean Poultry Association argue that companies outside the region have an easier time selling poultry to CARICOM countries than regional producers do trading within CARICOM.
With less than one per cent of the poultry trade throughout CARICOM originating from companies in the region, players in the industry say non-tariff barriers are curtailing their efforts to do more business in the Caribbean.
Michael Jones of Jamaica Broiler's Group highlighted that sanitary and phytosanitary measures are important for food safety, but said they are often used to delay or obstruct regional trade.
He was speaking at the Caribbean Poultry Association’s eighth international technical symposium and exhibition in New Kingston on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a study conducted by the Association indicated that Trinidad and Tobago imported an average US$130 million in poultry meat, Suriname US$97 million and Jamaica US$80 million during the last five years.
The study also revealed that Barbados imported US$8.5 million in poultry meat, Belize US$1.1 million and Guyana US$4.9 million during the last five years.
Some 70 per cent of the poultry imported into CARICOM comes from the United States, followed by imports from Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the rest of the world.
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