Last night we had an extensive interview with the Chairman of BAHA, Hugh O'Brien. He spoke openly about giving the green light to ostrich rearing in Belize - but we also asked him of the apparently expanded role of BAHA in the issuance of permits and inspection of flowering plants. This came up recently in the last importation by Diani Chan for her company Botanical Garden by Roselyn - where Forestry was basically just an approving body - while BAHA took the lead.
O'Brien said that if you know the true history - this is as it should be:
Jules Vasquez
"Now you say you are regularizing processes so that people know who to deal with, but Diani Chan went a meeting on February 28 and they told her who to deal with, you need to deal with the forestry department if you are importing X, Y, Z. She wilfully ignored those instructions and went directly to your minister who sent her to BAHA who gave her the clearance. Since then, meetings have held and now it can be argued Mr. Chairman that BAHA has taken onto itself, has arrogated the lead in this and then forestry, while they have to give approval for CITES is only a subsidiary, because we will do the inspection at the border, if we need you all, we will call you all."
Hugh O'Brien, Chairman, BAHA
"Okay, I like what you've said, the forestry department has never been involved in the importation of plants into Belize. In fact, I will go as far as to say that this is all a new development and hence the reason for some of the challenges they face. So, the involvement of forestry, their decision to want to be involved is a relatively new thing and is a part of the forestry department's commitment to try to make sure that Belize abide by the international agreements we've signed under CITES, which is an admirable thing. But in going forward in implementing that, the wires got crisscrossed. So, you are saying that on February 28 - what happened the first time that problem arise, I'll give you the real rundown. Is that BAHA, to avoid the issues of CITES, because of all the challenge it was creating, all the plants that BAHA thought needed CITES certification were taken off the list and Ms. Diani was advised to apply for these plants, because they none of these ornamental plants require forestry permitting and the plants came in, but when they came in, that's when forestry said oh you have some invasive species in there and we need to go and inspect. They would have inspected the following day. The plants would have sat in the sun, the truck closed and they are very delicate, but by the time a day passes there at the border or in the sun, the plants would have been and not be attractive to sell, so the Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture, they did something which some are saying are not correct. BAHA did their inspection, its forestry who did not do their inspection and forestry ordered the truck to remain there until tomorrow afternoon and that's what caused all the problems. I'm not saying the Prime Minister is right or wrong, I'm just giving you the context of what transpired."
O'Brien says that a lot of the noise around this issue is caused by jostling between competitors.
