( L - R ) Clarke, Tufton

Agriculture minister, Dr Christopher Tufton, has turned up his nose at a stink caused by his predecessor over the Government's decision to import a foul-smelling organic fertiliser.

The fertiliser contains human excreta and the minister is insisting that the mounting controversy started by the farmer and former minister was an attempt to score political points.

In Parliament on Tuesday, Roger Clarke, opposition spokesman on agriculture, said the fertiliser imported by the Government late last year contained human excreta.

That started a firestorm.

It continued throughout yesterday with both men staging press conferences.

Independent verification wanted

At Clarke's press conference yesterday, he called for the fertiliser to be tested locally or verified independently. Late yesterday, Tufton said the product was tested by an independent lab overseas.

The minister maintained that the Government did the appropriate checks in a bid to provide farmers with what they wanted - cheaper fertiliser.

"My concern is that Roger Clarke is trying to make it a political issue. I think it is a highly irresponsible act and it is also a very selfish act," Tufton told The Gleaner.

He even accused Clarke of using fear-mongering tactics.

"He is trying to use fear to manipulate the farmers of Jamaica and, frankly speaking, the consumers of Jamaica for political point-scoring."

Clean bill of health

On Tuesday, Tufton told the House that the fertiliser contained human excreta but pointed out that the United States Environment Protection Agency (EPA) had given the product a "clean bill of health".

In a radio interview late yesterday, Tufton said he was prepared to accept that his administration should have made a bigger issue about the fertiliser's bio-solid component.

However, he said the product was properly labelled so the purchasers "would have been exposed to that information".

The Government imported the fertiliser from Florida-based manufacturer, Diamond R Fertiliser. However, there were complaints that a strong smell was emanating from it.

Alex Kaminsky, managing director of Diamond R Fertiliser's Caribbean operations, believes the proof of the fertiliser's quality is in the smell.

"The noxious smell, well, that maybe ... the analogy I can give is that if you have a strawberry that is very potent and there is a smell to it, it must be a good strawberry. Well, if our product is potent and noxious-smelling well, it must be a good product. And, in fact, it is," he boasted.

Kaminsky also said the claims made by Clarke about his company's fertiliser are groundless.

"The claims are unfounded. Our product is safe."

He added: "We are responsible to the regulating agencies in the United States, such as the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) and the EPA."

No complaints

The company has received no complaints, said Kaminsky.

He also indicated that there was no raw sewage in the product.

However, when asked if there was treated sewage in the product, Kaminsky was unable to provide a response.

Kaminsky rubbished Clarke's claims that dogs, crows and rats would eat the product.

"That would not happen. That will not happen. I think that the former minister is not being accurate with his claim."