SINT EUSTATIUS (ORANJESTAD) - The Executive Council of Statia has decided to maintain the implementation of the Sustainable Livestock Management for Food Security Programme, which was formally adopted in April 2025.
This decision follows a motion of the Island Council, which requested that the contract with the Swedish Hunting Association be terminated. After assessing the legal, financial, and administrative implications, the Executive Council concluded that termination would expose the Statia Government to significant liabilities and risk the island’s compliance with national funding conditions linked to major development projects, including the cliff stabilisation works.
The livestock programme, often mischaracterised as a goat eradication initiative, was developed by highly qualified civil servants. It was designed as a comprehensive approach to sustainable livestock management, incorporating live capture, support to livestock farmers, and the controlled removal of feral animals in the Boven National Park.
Based on the 2024 State of Nature Report of the Caribbean Netherlands, free-roaming livestock has caused extensive soil erosion, loss of vegetation, and damage to coral reefs and agricultural land.
These environmental impacts directly undermine local food security. The programme addresses these challenges through improved animal husbandry practices, provision of fencing materials, training for farmers, and better management of grazing lands.
The Executive Council noted that the plan was presented in full transparency, first to the Island Council, which responded positively to the project, and later to the general public during several consultation sessions held between May and September 2025.
It was also endorsed by the NEPP Steering Committee, which includes representatives from the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK), the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (I&W), and the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV).
By maintaining the existing contract and continuing implementation of the approved programme, the Executive Council reaffirmed its commitment to good governance, fiscal responsibility, and the long-term sustainability of food production on Statia.
