Puerto Rican poultry farmers demand better regulations

Dozens of Puerto Rican poultry producers, whose farms have closed due to the decline of the agricultural sector, have met in the capital, San Juan to demand more industry regulations.

The creation of a Poultry Inspection Office, which would expand government control over the poultry industry and punish such illegal actions as selling thawed chicken with a fresh label, is awaiting final approval by the House of Representatives.

The incumbent office president would “recommend public policies to the Secretary of Agriculture to guarantee that poultry products sold in Puerto Rico are appropriate for human consumption and meet all health standards established by the Poultry Products Inspection Act.”

“Everyone should support this [office] because all poultry products need to be inspected,” said Francisco Norat, president of the Poultry Farmers Association Canto Alegre-Picú (Avicapi).

Norat and the poultry producers would be at the Capitol building, he said, until the proposal is brought before the House of Representatives. Organisations like the Chamber of Marketing, Industry and Food Distribution (MIDA) and the Restaurant Association have expressed their opposition to the legislation.

Source: elnuevodia.com