BAHA Backpedals On Ostrich Permit

Businesswoman Nancy Marin has turned to the media to help her to find out why, after following all the procedures and requirements to get an import permit for ostriches, her application was first granted, but then revoked. Marin, who is also the leader of the Belize People’s Front Movement, told News Five that she has the support of the Minister of Agriculture, Abelardo Mai, but that the confusion seems to be between the Belize Agricultural Health Authority and the Forestry Department. So after BAHA granted the permit, it then reversed their decision, based on laws that the Forestry Department point to regarding the type of bird that Marin wants to import.

Nancy Marin, Businesswoman

Nancy Marin

“After six years I was allowed to send in an application in February of last year. It has taken that long but the procedures were set. I needed to first send phytosanitary documents from the farm that I’m buying [from] in Mexico and all of their business documents and the vet certificates from the animals they have there from their breeders, all of that had passed and then a few months later they then told me that I needed to pay for a research. Like after you complete what they’ve asked you, then they come up with more and more so it’s not like they send you a letter with all of the procedures and that is what holds the process back. In November I was told that I could come in and that I had approval for the importation through BAHA. I was never, through the six years, never told that I had to go to Forestry for anything at all until I went in and tried to get the approval in writing so that I could bring them from the border, then I was told “Sorry, Forestry said that this animal is a protected animal and that it’s a wildlife so I need permits from them. They sent me a list of procedures that I did, then another list of procedures that I have now completed and still there’s nothing.”