Government is enforcing an ‘economic embargo’ on imported carrots in a move to protect local farmers, Environment Minister Marc Bean announced.Fresh, treated carrots, including peeled, shredded and baby carrots, will only be allowed into the Island when the Minister is satisfied insufficient locally produced carrots are available, he told the House of Assembly.Mr Bean said in a Ministerial Statement: “This is a matter of significant concern to our local farmers, but also of concern to consumers, restaurants and hotels.“The policy change is designed to protect local farmers, while also ensuring that there are always sufficient carrots to meet local demand, particularly when local fresh carrots are not available.“We recognise that many farmers depend on fresh carrot sales for a significant portion of their annual revenues. And we also recognise that given varying weather conditions, carrots are not always readily available.”He said a quarantine embargo is currently in place for the importation of untreated carrots, designed to prevent infestation by the carrot rust fly. However treated carrots are exempt from that embargo.“As a change in policy, the Government will now manage the importation of treated carrots by imposing an economic embargo on treated carrots, to exist side by side with the existing quarantine embargo,” said Mr Bean.He said the Minister will act on the basis of advice provided by the Government Marketing Centre regarding the available supply of local fresh carrots.“Only when the supply of fresh or refrigerated local carrots has declined sufficiently will the Minister lift an economic embargo,” he said.Mr Bean added that prior to distribution, imported treated carrots will be inspected by the Department of Environmental Protection’s Plant Protection Laboratory.The Government Marketing Centre and the Plant Protection Laboratory will work to ensure importers are aware of the status of a treated carrot economic embargo and to ensure that they are compliant with embargo notices, he said.“This Government supports local farmers,” said Mr Bean.“And we wish to encourage both residents and visitors to enjoy the sweet flavour of our local carrots. However, we also wish to ensure that while protecting our farmers and encouraging local produce, we also enable carrots to be always available.”Current embargo notices can be viewed at the Department of Conservation Services website, www.conservation.bm/embargoes.