March 13, 2006

Malaysia's pig breeders criticise farm closure order

Pig breeders in Malaysia are protesting an order in a southern state to shut their farms, claiming the move is politically motivated, activists said Friday (Mar 10).

The Veterinary Services Department in Malacca state has sent notices to 82 hog rearing farms, instructing them to close their premises and cease operations this month. No reason was given.

It was not clear if the order was linked to concerns about diseases, especially the Nipah virus that decimated hog farms in the area in 1999.

Malaysia is one of Southeast Asia's biggest pork producers, but pig rearing has long been a sensitive issue in this mostly Muslim nation that prides itself on racial tolerance.

The letter said the state administration in Malacca ruled in April 1999 that pig farms should be phased out. It did not say why the decision was being enforced now.

"All livestock should be sold or transferred in a suitable way within 14 days of this letter's date," said the March 1 notice, which was received by the farms over the past week.

On Friday, farmers submitted a protest note to state legislators, criticising the letter's warning that their premises would be seized if they fail to heed the order, said Goh Leong San, a member of an opposition party.

Goh claimed the 1999 decision to close pig farms was not publicly revealed until this month.

Officials have not said whether the ruling was because of a 1999 outbreak of the Nipah virus that infected hundreds of thousands of pigs in Negri Sembilan state, which borders Malacca.