Several states are now facing a shortage of pork after the Veterinary Services Department banned interstate shipping of live pigs over the past two weeks to curb the spread of the African Swine Flu.
The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Butcher's Association is urging the department to release a report on the outbreak and revoke the shipping ban.
According to its chairperson Lee Ping Hock, about 3,000 pigs are slaughtered daily in the Klang Valley, of which about 80 percent originate from Perak - while Penang and the Klang Valley each supply about 500.
Since the ban was imposed, however, the supply of live pigs to some states has dwindled, impacting various downstream industries such as slaughterhouses, retailers, food and beverage industries and so on.
"Recently, except Penang and Perak, other states such as Pahang, Johor, Selangor and Malacca are facing a serious shortage of pork," said Lee, during a press conference with DAP Public Complaints Bureau chief Lim Lip Eng this afternoon.
Some have even temporarily shut down their business due to the shortage.
Lee explained that while the pork can still be shipped across state borders, it is often no longer fresh or even began to smell by the time it arrived at its destination, due to a lack of adequate storage equipment at local slaughterhouses.
He also claimed the Veterinary Services Department has yet to release any official African Swine Flu test result, even though the ban was issued in late January.
Some Perak pig farmers have conducted the test through private laboratories to prove their livestock are free from the virus, but authorities supposedly refused to recognise the test.
The industry group urged authorities to allow those pig farms that have proven to be free from the disease to ship live pigs to other states.
They also claimed a pig farm owned by a Thailand-based food company has been granted permission to ship their pigs to be slaughtered in Rawang, Selangor - while others have yet to receive similar permission.
They demanded the government treat local pig farmers fairly and not favour multinational corporations. Lim also promised to convey the association's message to the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry.
“I will immediately pass the message to the authorities and my colleagues in the ministry, especially deputy minister Chan Foong Hin," he said.
Malaysiakini has contacted the Veterinary Services Department for a response. - Mkini
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