Agriculture Ministry pursuing further action to fix mining sector oversight and compliance amid Auditor General report

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining says additional actions are being actively pursued as part of its ongoing efforts to improve oversight, accountability and compliance within the mining sector.

The Ministry was responding to a performance audit by Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis, which exposed regulatory, administrative and monitoring gaps within the Mines and Geology Division.

The Auditor General’s damning report revealed that three mining lessees owe US$13.7 million (approximately J$2.2 billion) in penalties for failing to rehabilitate 264.14 hectares of mined-out land.

In a release on Thursday, the Ministry indicated that an immediate action plan is already under way to overhaul sector oversight, enforce compliance and restore strict accountability.

It says measures under that plan have been implemented, while additional actions are being actively pursued as part of ongoing efforts to improve oversight, accountability and compliance.

The audit assessed the division’s licensing, monitoring and enforcement actions for the period between 2019-20 and 2023-24, tracking figures up to December 2025.

According to the Ministry, a plan has already been in place to address identified gaps and strengthen the Division’s administrative, monitoring and regulatory processes.

In acknowledging the breaches, the Ministry said it “is reviewing the measures already implemented and those currently being pursued against the Auditor General’s findings and recommendations. This review will help to identify any areas requiring further strengthening, and additional corrective action will be taken where necessary to ensure that the appropriate systems and safeguards are in place.”

It also committed to providing additional information once it completes the review.

In her report, the Auditor General warned that there is reduced assurance that operators have the financial capacity to meet their environmental obligations because security deposits were not utilised and penalties remained uncollected.

The report said further that this ultimately leaves the Jamaican Government and taxpayers unprotected against future land restoration costs.

The report also flagged broader “mining mess” issues, such as operators continuing to mine for up to six years after their leases lapsed, uninspected quarries, and poorly tracked royalty arrears.

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