Should the government support our miners, and I think they should, we must insist on improved performance from small-scale miners in return for concessions. We must see evidence in the short-term that small-scale miners are actually improving their performance. Such evidence could include:
* Reduced pollution
* Declaration of all gold production lawfully in Guyana
* Reduced worker deaths and injuries
* Payment of taxes, NIS and other financial obligations
* Retention of worked material for future extraction of remnant gold
* Replacement of mercury as the main method of retrieval
On this latter point, Editor, it is worth noting that the inefficiency of mercury means that retrieval rates from gold-bearing ore are unacceptably low. Mercury also can impact one’s health negatively, a large risk given how casually many miners use mercury.
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