-GLDA rejects ‘false, misleading’ claims over welfare of animals
–says they were quarantined, certified, continuously monitored by veterinarians throughout journey from Brazil

THE Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) confirmed last night that the shipment of imported cattle at the centre of recent public discussion has arrived safely at its Ebini Livestock Facility.

Chief Executive Officer Dr Dwight Walrond in a video message from the facility indicated that the animals are now settled in pasture and under continued observation by the authority’s technical team. As he spoke the animals could be seen in the background.

He said the cows had arrived safely and were already beginning to adapt to their new surroundings, where they would spend the coming days under close monitoring by production staff, pasture specialists, and veterinary personnel.

“These animals, they are now like what any cattle would do. They’re just exploring their surrounding for the time being,” Dr Walrond said.

He noted that the animals had been placed in a pasture and that the necessary mineral supplements were already available at the facility.

He said the cattle would remain under observation as they transitioned into their new environment, adding that by the following day, they were expected to be “well rested, comfortable, and start adapting to their new location.”

“The animals are in the pasture, so you can rest assured. We have commenced our new stage of breeding programme for our beef and dairy farmers throughout Guyana,” Dr Walrond added.

NO INHUMANE TREATMENT

Meanwhile, earlier on Monday, the GLDA moved to counter what it described as a wave of false, misleading, and unsubstantiated claims circulating on social media concerning the welfare, transportation, and management of the shipment of imported cattle which at the time was en route to the Ebini facility.

In a statement, the GLDA said the health and humane treatment of the animals remained the highest priority at every stage of the importation process and firmly rejected suggestions that the cattle had been neglected, abandoned, or moved without veterinary oversight.

According to the authority, the cattle underwent a mandatory seven-day pre-export quarantine in Brazil prior to their departure.

During that period, the animals were inspected, monitored, and tested by Brazil’s competent veterinary authorities, who officially certified them as healthy and free of transboundary animal diseases before they were cleared for export.

On arrival in Lethem, the animals were subjected to a further round of veterinary inspection carried out by the GLDA itself, a step the authority said was necessary before the cattle could be cleared to continue their journey onward to the Ebini Livestock Facility.

The GLDA said the journey from Lethem to Ebini was conducted in strict compliance with established animal-welfare protocols.

Mandatory rest stops were built into the transport schedule every four hours, at which point the animals were provided with feed and clean drinking water supplemented with electrolytes.

At each stop, GLDA veterinarians and animal-health personnel conducted routine welfare assessments, checking the animals for any signs of stress, illness, injury, or fatigue.

The authority emphasised that veterinary supervision and technical support remained continuous for the duration of the operation.

On that basis, the GLDA specifically refuted claims that the animals had been kept continuously confined for six days, describing such assertions as “entirely false” and dismissive of the welfare procedures that were actually in place throughout the transport process.

Addressing reports of a delay encountered during the operation, the GLDA explained that a temporary hold-up at a river crossing was not the result of poor planning or inadequate care for the animals. Instead, it said, the delay stemmed from prevailing tidal conditions and precautionary operational measures put in place to ensure the safe transfer of livestock transport vehicles across the river.

The GLDA said these operational decisions were made on the advice of its veterinary and technical personnel, with animal welfare as the guiding consideration. Even during this period of delay, the authority maintains, the cattle continued to receive adequate feed, clean drinking water, veterinary care, and continuous monitoring.

The authority confirmed that mortalities were recorded among the livestock during the course of the operation. While acknowledging that any loss of livestock during transport is regrettable, the GLDA said the isolated deaths were promptly documented and handled in line with established veterinary protocols.

Importantly, the authority noted that under the terms of the procurement contract governing the importation, the supplier is contractually obligated to deliver all animals alive to the GLDA’s Ebini Livestock Facility. As a result, the supplier will be required to replace the three animals that died, at no additional cost to either the Government of Guyana or the GLDA.

PUBLIC ASSETS
The GLDA firmly clarified the ownership and purpose of the cattle, stressing that the animals are public assets procured by the Government of Guyana under a national livestock development programme.

The initiative, the authority said, is designed to strengthen the country’s genetic-improvement efforts, enhance national food security, and boost domestic livestock productivity.

The GLDA explicitly rejected suggestions circulating online that the cattle are linked to, or intended to benefit, any privately owned or privately operated farm, describing such claims as false.

GLDA reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, science-based animal-health management, and adherence to internationally accepted animal-welfare standards.

The authority urged members of the public to rely on verified information from official sources and to disregard misinformation that it says seeks to undermine what it calls a nationally important agricultural-development initiative.