August 27, 2007

Pig farmers in Malaysian state told to reduce pig population

The state government in Melaka, a state in Malaysia has urged pig farmers in Alor Gajah to adhere to a ruling which limits the number of pigs to 48,000, less than a third of current levels.

A total of 160,000 pigs are currently being raised in the district.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the owners should sell off the extra animals before the authorities moved to confiscate them.

The state government will mount an operation before the end of the month to ensure that the ruling is enforced, he told local media last week.

Mohd Ali said that over the years, several pig farms in the state had polluted water resources and people living nearby had to endure an unbearable stench.

He said that being a small state, Melaka should not be rearing 160,000 pigs and it did not want to to be labeled Malaysia's biggest pig producer.

A majority of the population in Malaysia is Muslim. Islam abhors pork. However, there is also a sizable population of Chinese-Malaysians in the country, who are allowed to consume pork. However, pig farms in some parts of the country have been closed down in recent years.