Senate passes conch levy and dairy board amendments at May 22 sitting

Jamaica’s Senate on May 22 passed amendments to the Conch Export Levy Act and the Jamaica Dairy Development Board Act, while the sitting also featured pointed exchanges over an Integrity Commission report on the Firearm Licensing Authority that has not yet been tabled.

At the opening of the sitting, Senate President Tom Tavares-Finson noted that the chamber’s central air-conditioning system was malfunctioning and welcomed 28 students, six teachers and one parent from Grand Comienzo Prep in Mandeville. He also reflected on the Evening Tide Home fire, in which 157 women died on May 20, 1980, and said the Governor-General had signed a declaration creating a national day of remembrance for the victims.

Several documents were laid on the table, including the Financial Services Commission’s 2022-2023 annual report, the Electoral Commission of Jamaica’s 2024-2025 annual report, an Auditor General’s Department audit on the Hurricane Melissa relief initiative, a green paper on the National Youth in Agriculture Policy, and several Integrity Commission reports concerning public officers accused of failing to file 2023 statutory declarations.

Responding to Senator Lambert Brown, Tavares-Finson confirmed that an Integrity Commission report concerning the Firearm Licensing Authority, received on March 30, 2026, had not been tabled. He said the decision was made jointly by the presiding officers, after consultation with parliamentary officials, because court proceedings seeking non-disclosure were before the judiciary. He rejected criticism directed solely at House Speaker Juliet Holness and cited the Ian Hayles matter and comments by constitutional lawyer Dr Lloyd Barnett.

The Senate then passed the Conch Export Levy Amendment Act, which allows the minister, by order subject to affirmative resolution, to set or extend the period for levy payments, permit instalments, and waive, reduce or remit the levy in specified circumstances. The opposition supported the measure.

The Jamaica Dairy Development Board Amendment Act was also passed without amendment. The bill expands the definition of milk beyond cows and lowers the milk-solids threshold for dairy products from more than 50 per cent to at least five per cent. Senator Alan Bernard proposed tighter wording around approved dairy animals, but the amendment was defeated.

The Senate also approved sending the Insurance Amendment Twelfth Schedule Regulations 2026 to the Regulations Committee. On the adjournment, Senator Kavan Gayle marked Workers Week 2026 and Labour Day, observed on Monday, May 25, while calling for occupational safety and health legislation to return to Parliament. Brown supported the call and urged ratification of ILO Convention 158.