JAMAICANS are being warned to exercise caution when purchasing animal meat this approaching Christmas season, as the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Agricultural Protection Branch (APB) reports an uptick in large-scale praedial larceny.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Oral Pascoe, in an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Sunday, warned that stolen livestock could find its way onto the market without undergoing the necessary public health inspections. He stressed the importance of consumers ensuring that any meat they purchase bears the requisite stamp certifying it as safe for consumption.

“If somebody has the time to go on a farm and slaughter 10 to 15 [animals] in one night, and move the meat, all you’ll see is the intestines when you go on the site. This is what’s happening, and so we’ll try to put out the advisories against purchasing unstamped meat. So we want the consumers to continue their vigilance,” Pascoe said.

The warning comes as the branch reports a worrying trend in animal theft, with thieves increasingly targeting large numbers of cattle and goats in single operations, particularly in rural parishes.

According to Pascoe, head of the APB, the demand for locally produced beef and goat meat traditionally increases between September and December, creating opportunities for criminals seeking to profit from the lucrative Christmas market.

The SSP said this has resulted in 1,424 arrests for agriculture-related offences islandwide so far this year, a more than 600 per cent increase from the approximately 200 arrests during the corresponding period in 2025.

He pointed out that some criminals kill animals in remote areas, a practice commonly referred to as bush slaughter, which can compromise the quality of meat and render it unsafe to consume.

Under the established procedures in Jamaica’s Public Health Act, which governs butchering, food handling, and meat inspection, Pascoe said health inspectors must examine slaughtered animals to determine whether the meat is fit for consumption before the appropriate stamp is applied.

He warned that meat obtained from illegally slaughtered animals may bypass these safeguards, exposing consumers to potential health risks.

“There’s a possibility that the meat can be condemned, not fit for human consumption… So there are procedures that are set up to protect the public for consumption,” he said.

Pascoe further noted that anyone who handles meat must have a food handler’s permit and that slaughterhouses must operate in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Meanwhile, the senior policeman pointed to the practice of leaving livestock to roam freely as one of the factors contributing to the prevalence of animal theft.

“I’m not sure if it’s a cultural issue, where persons are leaving their animals unattended,” he said.

“If you realise the nature of farming, it’s not necessarily beside home. It’s remote locations that these animals are in,” he continued, explaining that this makes it easier for thieves to slaughter and remove animals before their owners become aware of the theft.

To combat the problem, Pascoe said the branch has intensified patrols in vulnerable farming communities and increased sensitisation efforts among farmers, while urging them to remain vigilant and promptly report incidents of theft.

He stressed that timely reports are crucial to the police’s ability to respond, recover stolen livestock, and apprehend those responsible.

“Some farmers are not reporting the situation to us, so we can’t respond. So, once we get a report, immediately, once we get it, we have an operational response, an internal mechanism, to try to recover, arrest suspects, and try to control that it doesn’t escalate,” he explained.