Tests show NFC livestock diseased, Pua reveals

By Clara Chooi

April 09, 2012

Pua concerned over levels of copper. — File picture

KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 — DAP lawmaker Tony Pua revealed today test results showing that some of the cattle raised under the scandal-ridden National Feedlot Centre (NFC) scheme had died from copper poisoning, raising health concerns about meat from the scheme.

He told a press conference in Parliament today that the tests by the Veterinary Services Department (VRD) were conducted on half a dozen cattle that had died at the NFC in June last year.

All the tests, he said, had indicated copper levels well above the normal range for healthy cattle, which is 25 to 100 parts per million (ppm).

One test subject, Pua pointed out, had recorded a level of 172.98 ppm. Its kidneys fared even worse, containing 43.71 ppm instead of the normal range between 4 and 6 ppm.

“This is a matter of serious concern as meat and meat products from the diseased cows may have been sold for human consumption in Malaysia,” he said.

The NFC and the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp), which runs the RM250 million federally funded cattle farming scheme, hit headlines last year when the Auditor-General reported that it had missed production targets.

MORE TO COME