November 17, 2003

Stricter Breeding & Livestock Slaughtering Rules To Enforce in Malaysia's Sabah

Stricter rules to govern breeding and slaughtering of livestock will be enforced in Sabah by early next year, Malaysia's State Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Datuk Abdul Rahim Ismail announced on Saturday.

They are the Control of Livestock Activities Rules 2003, Meat Inspection Rules 2003 and Slaughterhouse Rules 2003.

He said the new rules were aimed at standardising the administration of livestock farming as well as to ensuring a healthy environment for slaughtering activities in the state.

"The move is also to streamline the loopholes in the existing Animal Ordinance 1962 and to bring it in line with the state government's efforts to make the livestock industry internationally competitive especially with the implementation of the Asean Free Trade Agreement (AFTA)," he told Bernama.

He said the draft of all three rules had been forwarded to the Sabah Attorney General's Chamber and then would be submitted to the State Cabinet for approval.

At present Sabah has 24 abattoir built by local authorities.

He said without proper rules and guidelines, it would be difficult for the government to monitor and certify the selling of livestock, especially stolen animals, which was believed to be quite rampant in the state.

The draft Livestock Breeding Rules 2003 stipulate that any person who operates without a licence if convicted can be fined a sum not exceeding RM10,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or both.

He said livestock farming covered dairy cattle, pig (including wild pig), cattle, buffalo, horse, ostrich, goat, deer, sheep, chicken, duck and goose.

The new rules empower the Director of the Department of Veterinary Services and Animal Industry (Dovsai) or any authorised officer to compound any offence not less than by 10% or 30% of the maximum fines, he said.

The Meat Inspection Rules empower any veterinary authority to enter, inspect and search any licensed slaughterhouse, government abattoir or any other place in which he has reason to suspect that livestock is being or has been slaughtered in contravention of these rules.

On the Slaughterhouse Rules, Rahim explained that except for livestock for domestic, ceremonial and religious purpose, all slaughtering activities must be done at a licensed slaughterhouse or at a government abattoir.

He said the veterinary authority may, upon application of any person, issue special permits to the person to slaughter animals for domestic, ceremonial and religious purpose elsewhere.

He said any person found guilty under these Slaughterhouse Rules is liable to a fine of RM500 or one month imprisonment or both.

"Sabah will be divided into six key production areas to determine the number of slaughterhouses to be built. Our plan is to build at least six centres but it could be more," he said.