CLARENDON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Agriculture society is making preparations for the smooth running of the annual agricultural show, Denbigh in August.

According to JAS President, Norman Grant, the society in partnership with Clarendon Health Department hosted the first ever and successful Denbigh Show Food Handlers Clinic last week Thursday.

“A number of food handlers were present at the sessions held at the Denbigh showground. They were trained and applied for their food handler’s permit, which will be issued by the CHD by the end of July.

“A second Denbigh Show Food Handlers Clinic is scheduled for tomorrow at 10:00am, So that the parish pavilions from all 13 parishes as well as those who missed the first session will be trained and certified,” he said in a release today.

The Denbigh show will be held August 5-7.

Grant also said JAS had the first Denbigh showground work and spruce up day, which was a success with over 150 individuals turning out for the exercise last week.

The exercise included vector control by the CHD, inspections by the Fire Brigade, bushing, filling of the pond and other ground cavities to remove any attraction for mosquitoes breeding, cleaning of the main drain, repairing bathroom facilities,  plumbing and some exhibitors working on their booth and preparing the facility to handle the waste water.

“The inspectors from the Clarendon Health Department, who visited the showground during the exercise over the weekend were extremely pleased with the progress made. A final inspection by CHD is planned for Thursday when the team from the JAS and the Clarendon Health Department will have the 4th consecutive weekly meeting,” the release added.

Meanwhile, JAS said it has started to received confirmations from overseas officials, guests, exhibitors and buyers from overseas for Denbigh.

These confirmations have come from Canada’s Senator Don Meredith President of the Tobago Agricultural Society, Murchison Neptune, Turks and Caicos’ Minister of Health, Agriculture & Human Resources Edwin Eastwood along with other delegates from the US and the UK.

Grant said the Jamaica Agricultural Society and the Trinidad and Tobago Agricultural Society have also commenced discussion for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen bi-lateral relation between the two countries through the sharing of information and the commencing of trading between both organisations as well as among members.