Pig farms: Enforce environmental laws, not apply blanket ban - deputy minister rebuts Wan Saiful

 

The government should not deny legally compliant pig farms the right to continue operating simply because of pollution caused by a minority of operators, Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Chan Foong Hin said.

Chan (above) asserted that enforcement should target farms that breach environmental laws instead of applying a blanket penalty to the whole industry.

“Do we want to penalise an entire industry simply because of the transgressions of a few? If that is the logic, should every other livestock industry also be closed whenever a case of pollution occurs?

“Government policy cannot be shaped by perception, sentiment, or political rhetoric. Policy must be grounded in facts, evidence, and the principles of fairness,” he said on Facebook.

Chan was responding to Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan, who suggested in the Parliament Special Chambers on Wednesday that all pig farming activities in his constituency be shut down due to pollution in Sungai Kereh.

According to Wan Saiful, the river is facing “chronic pollution” as untreated discharge and industrial effluent from nearby pig farms in Kampung Selamat are being released into the waterway, affecting livelihoods in the area.

Jurisdiction gaps

The opposition MP also bemoaned that little action has been taken on the matter, as there exists a jurisdiction gap between agencies in resolving the issue.

Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan (left)

“When complaints were lodged, the Environment Department (DOE) stated that the issue fell outside its jurisdiction as it involved livestock farming waste.

“Meanwhile, the Penang Department of Veterinary Services admitted to being incapacitated by a lack of capacity.

“How can effective enforcement be achieved when only three enforcement officers are assigned to monitor such a vast farming area?

“They are forced to contend with physical risks, threats from venomous animals like snakes, and health implications arising from ammonia gas,” he said, adding that the meagre fines issued were not enough to deter multimillion-ringgit pig farming operators.

Wan Saiful further suggested that the government liberalise pork imports to ensure adequate supply and a smooth transition from the industry, citing the promotion of kenaf as an alternative to tobacco cultivation as a precedent.

‘Sungai Kereh recovering’

However, Chan countered Wan Saiful’s argument by stating that positive improvements have been observed in Sungai Kereh, with weekly monitoring indicating that the river is recovering.

ADS

He asserted that suspended faecal matter was no longer detected, while the river was no longer black and murky as it had been previously.

Chan attributed the improvement to a directive that took effect on May 4, requiring pig farms to transport their sewage waste to a biogas treatment plant.

He also pointed out that when it came to Penang, legal pig farms in the state had achieved a 100 percent modernisation rate since 2023 – with illegal ones shuttered.

The Kota Kinabalu MP also rejected Wan Saiful's comparison with the tobacco industry, saying Malaysia had never abolished tobacco cultivation despite its decline, and questioned why the pig farming industry should be treated differently.

Chan added that pig farming forms part of the country's food supply chain and that the government's responsibility was to ensure the industry complied with the law rather than deny legally operating businesses the right to continue operating.

He urged policymakers to base decisions on facts, evidence and the principles of justice instead of perception, sentiment or political rhetoric, stressing that democratic debate should not come at the expense of industries that comply with the law. - Mkini