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Home | JCF Agricultural Protection Branch Commended for Surge in Praedial Larceny Convictions
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, provides an update on the agriculture sector’s recovery from Hurricane Melissa during a recent press briefing held at the Ministry’s head office in Hope Gardens, St. Andrew.
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, has commended the work of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Agricultural Protection Branch (APB), which led to a 2,000 per cent increase in praedial larceny convictions in 2025.
The APB was launched in June 2025, and since its establishment, there has been a significant increase in arrests, court cases, and convictions related to praedial larceny and other agriculture‑related crimes.
“Convictions surged from nine… in 2024 to 209… last year… and over 2,000 per cent increase, which is really a breakthrough in terms of judicial success and offender accountability. I think we are on the road to break the back of praedial larceny,” Mr. Green announced.
He was speaking during a recent post‑Hurricane Melissa press briefing, held at the Ministry’s head office in Hope Gardens, St. Andrew.
Mr. Green also noted that the number of arrests increased from 78 in 2023 to 139 in 2024, and with the establishment of the APB, rose further to 381 in 2025.
“We’ve also seen increases in cases before the courts, which have moved from 201 cases in 2024 to 337 cases in 2025. [This is] a 68 per cent increase, showing improved case preparation and prosecution readiness,” he stated.
The Minister highlighted that the provisions of the Praedial Larceny Prevention Act were strengthened through amendments that came into effect on July 15, 2025.
The amendments introduced increased penalties and established victim impact statements, giving farmers a stronger voice in court proceedings.
“In fact, these amendments build on changes that we made in 2023 to the Agricultural Produce Act, which include raising fines to $3 million, expanding the definition of agricultural produce and putting in a mandatory registration and licensing regime that will be operationalised through RADA (Rural Agricultural Development Authority) this year,” Mr. Green said.
Additionally, the Minister emphasised that traceability is critical in combatting praedial larceny and pledged to advance animal tagging services.
“I think the farmers appreciate how critical it is. We have had a number of meetings and we have literally put more boots on the ground to ensure that we can get more tagging done… because this is important in the fight against praedial larceny,” Mr. Green said.
He maintained that movement controls must be strengthened and emphasised the Ministry’s commitment to further expand its central livestock database.
