A&R says its birdseed is clean

A&R PET Supplies has denied that it is selling birdseed containing pesticide residues.

Through its lawyer, Stephen Kenny of Stephen F Kenny Legal Practitioners, A&R Pet Supplies said it had sent samples of the allegedly contaminated birdseed to South Africa for analysis and no poison was found. The company said a copy of the test results was forwarded to the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry.The Ministry earlier took its own samples, but the results of those tests were not yet available, the lawyer said.He also denied that A&R Pet Supplies had been ordered by the Ministry of Agriculture or any other institution to stop selling its remaining stock of birdseed.”Our client has, however, adhered to a verbal request not to sell the remaining stock and has given his full co-operation in this respect,” said Kenny.He said A&R had asked the Ministry to get back to them by tomorrow on its analysis, failing which they would resume selling the seed on Wednesday.The company was responding to a report in The Namibian last week that some birdseed mixes had been removed from shops following the death of wild and pet birds in Windhoek in recent weeks.An official in the Ministry of Agriculture, who requested anonymity, said A&R Pet Supplies had been ordered to stop selling its remaining stock.The company said a copy of the test results was forwarded to the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry. The Ministry earlier took its own samples, but the results of those tests were not yet available, the lawyer said.He also denied that A&R Pet Supplies had been ordered by the Ministry of Agriculture or any other institution to stop selling its remaining stock of birdseed.”Our client has, however, adhered to a verbal request not to sell the remaining stock and has given his full co-operation in this respect,” said Kenny.He said A&R had asked the Ministry to get back to them by tomorrow on its analysis, failing which they would resume selling the seed on Wednesday.The company was responding to a report in The Namibian last week that some birdseed mixes had been removed from shops following the death of wild and pet birds in Windhoek in recent weeks.An official in the Ministry of Agriculture, who requested anonymity, said A&R Pet Supplies had been ordered to stop selling its remaining stock.