Rasta owns pig farm

Faced with the need to earn in order to guarantee his survival, a St Thomas Rastafarian has resorted to raising pigs.

While Rastafarians may consider pork to be unclean and, therefore, 'bun it', 63-year-old farmer Alexander Reid has no problem raising pigs.

"You have to do what you have to do to survive, enuh," said Reid, who has been farming for more than 40 years.

He started out with 28 pigs but over time, he sold them out and now has only two.

Reid was quick to note that even though pigs are on his farm, he is not the one who is in charge of them.

"A nuh me directly, enuh. You know seh a mi son. Mi buy the place and the hog pen weh did half done deh pon it, so me finish it and get me son fi look bout it. People know seh mi nuh deal wid it (pig) man," he said.

He told THE STAR that he does not eat meat, however, because he must provide for his child, and in the end, he is running a business.

"Mi nuh eat nuh meat at all, enuh. Not even chicken. Mi raise dem but nuh eat dem. Tru yu done know seh a man-made things dem deh. Dem white fowl deh mek in a lab. Suh mi nuh eat dem. Even the pond fish dem, mi nuh eat. Mi only eat the things dem weh mi plant, not what me raise. Mi eat fish but only sea fish. Mi raise all cow and a years now mi nuh eat the meat," he said.

Judge people

Reid said that he does not judge people but he doesn't care who wants to judge him.

"Mi nuh feel nuh way cause mi know whole heap of people want dem fi eat so mi just gwaan raise dem and sell dem. Mi nuh feel nuh way against people weh eat dem either. Every man to dem own orders, enuh," he said. "Mi nuh fight no one with them religion and what dem want to do enuh. My babymother love straighten her head and put in all kinda something in her head and eye dem, buy all kind a hair and cut off her hair and mi nuh look pon her. Mi nuh mek dem something deh badda me. It nuh trouble me and a same way the people weh eat dem meat nuh trouble me because me can't tell them what to do."

Reid was not vegan all his life, but became one for both religious and health reasons.

"When me used to eat it, it used to go against me and sick me stomach. Mi just see that me nuh like the flesh (meat). Me not even like fi kill them cause a same suh dem have life like we too and no man nuh waa dead and nuh care how you rich and sweet and nice, mi nuh see nobody a eat nuh man. Mi just like make wah can gwaan live live. All '40 leg' and dem supm deh mi nuh kill dem, enuh," he said.