October 2, 2007

Malaysian pig breeders defy order to reduce swine population

It looks increasingly likely that pig breeders in the Malaysian state of Malacca would fail to cut their swine population by two-thirds, as previously agreed upon, a government official said.

The state had previously ordered the pig farms to reduce their pig population from 140,000 to 48,000 by early October. Pigs were either to be relocated or culled as residents in surrounding areas had complained of the stench and environmental pollution, he said.

Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop, Deputy Federal Territories Minister, said that only 34,022 pigs were removed in the past four weeks.

The breeders also failed to close down nine farms and most probably, would not shut down another 10 despite what had previously been agreed upon, he told reporters.

Earlier, he chaired a meeting of the committee that was set up to monitor the progress of the pig relocation exercise.

Earlier, the Malacca government had conceded the request made by the breeders for a one-month grace period.

The government had to be firm because excessive breeding caused serious environmental pollution, he said.

The Malacca pig issue has been a politically charged one as most people in the mainly-Muslim country abhor pigs whereas the minority ethnic Chinese population treats pork as part of their diet.