Acting Shadow Environment Minister John Barritt believes Government would be making a monumental mistake if they successfully amend the environmental restrictions governing the importation of foreign soil to Bermuda.

The United Bermuda Party stalwart came out firing yesterday after The Royal Gazette revealed that Sports Minister Randy Horton would be seeking to end the long-running saga of the National Sports Centre’s sub-standard cricket square by following the advice of international pitch expert Andy Atkinson — who said almost two years ago that it must be re-laid using high-quality soil from overseas.

But Barritt insisted last night he would do everything in his power to resist the changes — as must all “right-thinking” Bermudians — while he also questioned why Environment Minister Neletha Butterfield had not made the announcement first.

“The United Bermuda Party disagrees in the strongest possible terms with Sports Minister Randy Horton’s plan to change long-standing regulations against the importation of soil,” he said.

“Most Bermudians understand the dangers of introducing alien species to this country. The cedar blight that hit our shores in the late 1940s was caused by an imported scale insect that dramatically and speedily altered the look of the island, killing off forests of our national tree.

“Quarantine regulations against the importation of soil were put in place decades ago to protect the Island from the introduction of similar threats to our flora and fauna.

“Soil is a particularly dangerous media. Nothing else in the world contains more bacteria per unit volume than soil. It is why we have permanent embargoes on various foreign fresh food crops because of the pests that could accompany them.

“There is no telling what imported soil contains, unless it is properly sterilised.”

Barritt, a former cricketer himself and a keen follower of the sport, said he too wanted to see the NSC’s three-and-a-half-year battle with the cricket square resolved — but only through environmentally safe methods. “Like everyone else, I would love to have the cricket pitch at the National Sports Centre to be of the highest quality, but we do not think the Government needs to endanger the flora and fauna of Bermuda to do so,” he said.

“The danger is too great, and our posture on this issue must be firm, with absolutely no exceptions. In this age of mass transportation, we have to be doubly vigilant to the threat from lethal species.

“There is no need to change the regulations. Soil can be made here at home quite easily. We have the expertise and we have the materials to do it. It just takes a little effort and a little faith in ourselves to do it.

“The Minister’s out-of-the-blue proposal is reckless in its intent, and quite frightening considering the potential consequences for the country.

“On a final note, I would like to register our surprise and concern that such a radical announcement was made by the Sports Minister and not the Minister of the Environment. Where is she on Mr. Horton’s call?”

Attempts last night to make contact with both the Sports and Environment Ministers were unsuccessful.

It was when the Island hosted the Americas Championship in July, 2004 that problems with the NSC wicket first came to light, with batsmen from all competing countries complaining about the chronically uneven bounce.

Later in the year, the International Cricket Council’s pitch consultant Atkinson said the square’s soil was “only suitable for growing carrots” and argued the only way to make it playable was to bring in overseas soil.

According to both Government, Bermuda Cricket Board officials, NSC Trustees chairman Gerard Bean and head groundsman Trevor Madeiros, tests conducted on a wide cross-section of soils from many different parts of the Island have shown that local clay is not good enough to produce wickets of international class.