It is unfortunate that the latest Annual Report of the Cayman Islands Turtle Farm (CITF) coincides with an imminent visit from the International Media Manager of the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA). Neena Dhaun will be with us this weekend.

The WSPA has been canvassing the closing down of the farming of sea turtles at the CITF) for some time now and have got considerable support from all over the world.

They have cited cruelty, disease, overcrowding, filthy conditions and a host more problems at the Farm including the high cost of running the facility.

With pollution of the ocean one of the main concerns that was highlighted in previous reports, it is astonishing that this problem is still prevalent.

The report states the Farm remains at risk from potential legal action after its failure to acquire the correct environmental permits between 2007 and 2008. This has left the company exposed to possible litigation and the imposition of fines. Incredibly, so far there has been no legal action initiated against the Farm nor any fines levied.

A two-year permit was eventually granted to the Turtle Farm in 2009 for its effluent discharge but under the terms of the licence it had to reduce this by at least 50%. KPMG, the auditor’s of the annual report have stated the farm has not done this. Despite engaging external consultants to assist in complying with the terms of the permit and the relevant environmental laws, the farm failed to meet the required reduction in the waste and pollution it discharges into the ocean.

The management had decided a system that was originally recommended would not necessarily meet its requirements. Most alarmingly they concluded there could have been an adverse impact on air quality in the community that could even be worse than the ocean pollution!

According to the report this is because of cutbacks and cost constraints placed on the facility. It concluded that the company needed to make a significant capital investment to install a system appropriate to meet the requirements.

As for the costs of running the farm against the revenue it brings in it would be bankrupt but for the Cayman tax payer. The facility is hemorrhaging at a great rate of knots and even brought in less money in 2011 than 2010.

Gross profit was $3.6M in 2011 compared with $4.6M in 2010 and although expenses at the farm decreased the loss was nearly $8M!

With an election of an even newer government (after this present new government) on the cards in May the writing may be on the wall for a complete change of thinking regarding the Cayman Turtle Farm.

We cannot afford the present adverse publicity and we most certainly cannot afford even more cost in putting the wrongs there right.