Theft and illegal slaughter of livestock doubles in Sancti Spíritus

He theft and sacrifice of livestock in Sancti Spíritus It doubled compared to the previous year, according to official figures.

Until September, 2,262 incidents of theft and sacrifice had been recorded, 1,222 more than in the same period of the previous year, the local newspaper reported. Escambray based on data that emerged from a meeting between the vice president of Cuba, Salvador Valdés Mesa, with the agricultural producers of that province.

The figures offered denote a high incidence of these crimes in the midst of an acute food shortage in Cuba.

In September alone, there were 292 incidents of theft and sacrifice, 159 more than those that occurred in that same month in 2021, when 133 were reported.

According to the report, La Sierpe is the only territory in the province where this type of crime decreases, while those of Sancti Spíritus and Trinidad are the most repeat offenders.

As revealed in a note in the official newspaper Granma Regarding that meeting in the province of Sancti Spiritus and without referring to the vicissitudes of the people in providing food, Valdés Mesa resorted to the argument of a “lack of discipline” to control the cattle.

The vice president held ranchers responsible for the control and registration of the cattle mass in the country. “And if the rancher does not come to register, you have to go to his land to inspect. We have to put order in the field,” he said.

As part of “intense work with the Ministry of the Interior bodies,” government authorities took measures to increase livestock surveillance.

“A regular cattle count has been established, surveillance and control guards have been intensified,” he said. Granma.

These are not, however, the only problems that emerged from the meeting with agricultural producers.

Sancti Spíritus also faces a deficit in crop planting. The Sancti Spiritus media reported that to satisfy the demand of 30 pounds per capita, the province needs to plant more than 23,225 hectares of vegetables, vegetables, grains and fruits.

At the end of September, however, only 21,115 hectares were available due to non-compliance "associated with fuel limitations and rainfall."

The poor agricultural situation is not exclusive to this province. In other territories of the country, similar conditions of delays in plans related to crops have emerged and theft and slaughter of livestock has been reported.

In Ciego de Ávila won in July a record in the illegal slaughter of cattle, when in the week of the 18th to the 24th of that month, ten crimes were committed daily, with a maximum of 17 cattle stolen and slaughtered.

In the new Cuban Penal Code, who slaughter larger livestock without authorization of the competent state authority, will be punished with deprivation of liberty for three to eight years.

The new rule increased the minimum and maximum limit of the previous measure, since the other code established a penalty of two to five years for this crime.

In August the government approved new sanctions to try to regulate beef trade and slaughter. With the new provisions, ranchers would receive fines of up to 20 thousand pesos and the confiscation of their cattle if they violate any of the regulations.