No Xmas hams for prison officers

Senior prison officers who once benefited from being able to buy cured hams at Golden Grove will not have that opportunity this Christmas because of harsh economic times.

Decades ago, pigs were reared on a farm at Golden Grove and prisoners learned the art of curing ham. The end products were sold to prison officers, with senior officers being given the first preference.

However, owing to a decreased budget for the prison service, it was decided to stop producing hams, at least for this Christmas.

Commissioner of Prisons Gerald Wilson said, "Because of the economic situation we cannot supply the amount of feed we normally provide for the feeding of the pigs. Therefore we cannot produce hams."

Wilson said the prison could not get the required amount of feed, coupled with the fact that there were only a certain number of pigs available, soit was decided to put ham-curing on the back burner.