The Board of the Barbados Agricultural Society meets this afternoon to consider the options in the face of a twenty percent increase in the price of animal feed, but it appears clear Barbadians will soon have to pay more for local meat, eggs and poultry.

The only question is how soon prices will go up and by how much.

Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society James Paul says the price hikes are inevitable after the lone local manufacturer of animal feed, Pinnacle, served notice of a significant increase in their prices.

Mr. Paul made a point of stressing that the price hikes are due to factors overseas which are beyond their control.

Meantime, President of the Barbados Dairy and Beef Producers Association, Annette Beckett, says a 20 percent hike in the price of feed will have a drastic impact on farmers and meat prices will definitely have to go up.

However, she say that  in relation to dairy, farmers will have to trim their costs, by perhaps feeding their animals less, as the price they are paid for milk is controlled by Pine Hill Dairy.