Union blocks container fumigation

President General of the Seamen and Waterfront Workers’ Trade Union, Michael Annisette, yesterday said the container was at the Customs and Examination Station awaiting fumigation.

He said the union had suggested that the container be opened and fumigated at another location, such as the Jimmy Aboud warehouse. Annisette said this was a resolution instead of exposing workers to possible health risks. He said port workers had fears.

Based on international laws and regulations, Annisette said the local agency had a right to provide the customs manifest 24 hours before the arrival of the container.

"If this was done there is no right for it to land in TT, given the fact that the ministry has banned goods of that nature coming into TT," Annisette said.

Last week, Newsday reported that Jimmy Aboud manager, Gregory Aboud, had sought permission to open the container and remove items brought in with the feathers. However, the cargo was to be fumigated before the other items were to be removed.

The feathers alone were to be sent back to China.

Dr Stephen Johnston, director of Animal Health and Production at the Ministry of Agriculture, said the latest information the ministry had was that the union had taken a stance that port workers were not handling the container with feathers. Up to Friday, he said, the ministry believed that the container would have been fumigated. A private contractor was supposed to have conducted the fumigation under supervision from ministry personnel.

Johnston said the original plan was for an empty container to be placed alongside the container with the feathers. After the fumigation, the feathers were to be transferred, secured and shipped out.

The chemical to be used for fumigation was still at the ministry, but personnel did not go to oversee the work. Johnston said it was "highly unlikely" that persons coming into contact with the container or its contents would be affected, however, he said foremost among the ministry’s concerns was preventing the introduction of the bird flu to the local avian (bird) population.

Acting Agriculture Minister John Rahael said the container was still at the port to be fumigated. He said someone was contracted to do the job and all that was left was "getting it done."