Chaguanas masmaker Danzo Balroop is pleading with authorities at at the Customs and Excise Division to release his shipment of peacock feathers, which has been quarantined since last week, pending H5N1 (Bird Flu) testing.
In an interview at his Carnival mas camp at Chase Village in Chaguanas on Wednesday, Balroop said he was frustrated by the seizure of his costume material, especially since it may affect his ability to bring out the Bollywood section of his 2013 presentation, @ De Movies.
The bandleader said: "Everyday it is costing me to have them (the feathers) there and I have to go through red tape to get my stuff out of the airport."
Balroop said the feathers, which were shipped to him from India, already were tested by a Chaguanas vet who concluded the material was free from disease. However, he said, Customs and Excise officers were still unwilling to release the feathers.
"They said when they had the Bird Flu a few years ago they had a law that said no importation of bird feathers but peacocks never caught the disease. It was like chicken, ducks (and) turkey.
"The law has not changed so we still cannot bring in feathers although the Bird Flu and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) has been done with all over the world."
He said he would pen a letter to the Comptroller of Customs and Excise Fitzroy John asking for his intervention.
In 2005, then agriculture minister Jarrette Narine announced a ban on imports of pet birds and all other non-essential, non-food poultry which included bird feathers.
Balroop said that policy was not revoked and that was why he was faced with the present problem. He said the shipment originated in India, went to Canada and was cleared to be shipped to T&T.
"Canada is more strict than other parts of the world and the feathers passed through their system. It was tested and everything but in Trinidad we cannot bring it in.
"They hold it at the airport. So I am stuck and one feather, if I were to buy it locally, would cost me $150 to $200. It is a problem for the small masman."
Balroop said he was not sure about the quantity of the feathers in the shipment but said he told his wife to send 200 feathers for his costumes.
He admitted the delay in receiving his material caused a major snag to his mas-making operations.
"We have to rush everything because it is a short season and before we could have taken a night off, now there is no night off. Not even an hour we have to spare.
Customs: Not us
Customs and Excise communications specialist Alicia Charles said the Plant Quarantine Division of the Ministry of Food Production was responsible for the seizure of the feathers.Food Production Minister Devant Maharaj, when contacted, said he was not aware of the seizure.
Quarantine Dept responds
An official at the Plant Quarantine Division at Piarco International Airport said the ban on the importation of feathers remained in place and the state vet would have to test Balroop's feathers to clear it.The official said proper importation documents, including a country of origin certificate, must be provided before the feathers were released. However, the official said the feathers may have to be destroyed.