Tonight, the three containers of Guyanese rice remain in place at the Big Creek Port. Customs got a forfeiture order from the Magistrate's Court yesterday but Charles scrambled upstairs to the Supreme Court to get an injunction. That stops customs from doing anything until after a hearing next week Tuesday. But, as we reported yesterday, just a few hours after getting the order, Customs rolled down to Big Creek, ready to haul away the rice and destroy it, all 75 tonnes. Well, today the Belize Energy Workers Union got into the mix, urging them not to destroy the rice.

A release says, quote, "we recommend that instead of the rice being destroyed that it be distributed to organizations around the country which help feed the children, the elderly and poor. It can also be given to those schools which already have in place a feeding program….we also believe the owner of the rice should at least be compensated for the cost price of the rice." End quote.

Of course, it's not quite that simple because if BAHA certifies the rice as meeting SPS standards, then it really had no good reason to block its importation in the first place.