Malaysian pork import conditions to ease

 

 

Conditions imposed for the import of pork and pork-based products will be relaxed to ensure sufficient supply of the meat for the upcoming Chinese New Year.

 

The Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) director-general Datuk Abdul Aziz Jamaluddin said the move to relax the import conditions of 10 types of pork-based products from several countries was to ensure there would be sufficient supply of fresh pork meat and to stabilise prices.

 

Aziz said an estimated 7,000 live pigs were needed daily between a week prior and after Chinese New Year, adding that all efforts would be taken to ensure there would be enough supply during the period.

 

''Apart from relaxing import conditions, we will also oversee that the movements of pigs from one state to another go according to demand,'' he said on Tuesday (Jan 19).

 

 

However, the prices of pork in rural areas are about 20% lower than that sold in cities.

 

Aziz said the escalating prices of live pigs of late were due to reduction of porker (adult pigs) by breeders due to diseases and they also got rid of old sows, adding the number of suckling piglets sold last December were high due to efforts to reduce import.

 

He added the department had also frozen permits to move pigs given to five farms located in Selangor, Perak, Penang and Kedah as the breeders were found to have used beta agonist.

 

He said the situation was made worse when pork sellers and also abattoirs had refused to reduce their profit margin, claiming high rental and operation costs, and that suppliers of live pigs had stopped giving credit.

 

On suggestions that more pig farms be opened, Aziz said the present capacity was sufficient to meet demands for fresh pork, adding to date, there were 776 farms operating nationwide producing more than 6,000 pigs daily.