I REFER to your report “Dispute over state pig farm project” — NST, April 9).

The proposal to relocate scattered pig farms in Selangor and confine all pig-farming activity to a centralised area (PFA) with centralised waste-treatment facility in Sepang (an existing pig farming area) will help solve environmental pollution. Scattered pig farms with poor waste-treatment facilities can cause problems.

Confining pig farming to a single pollution-controlled area will make it easier for enforcement agencies to monitor and enforce strict compliance with pollution-control standards.

It will also facilitate improvement to disease control, animal husbandry and breeding.

The abattoir can also be located within the PFA so that no live pigs (only pig carcasses) leave the area. There should be a buffer zone with a garden surrounding the PFA to reduce odour pollution.

Former Selangor menteri besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo was quoted as saying that he opposed breeding of pigs for sale to other states.

It may be better to produce fewer pigs than required for the state’s consumption and supplement the shortfall with cheaper imported frozen pork from Vietnam or China.

The added cost of pollution control and higher cost of imported feed and labour will be reflected in the higher retail price for locally-produced pork.

With time, consumers will get used to frozen pork just as beef and mutton consumers have got used to consuming frozen imported mutton and beef.

The production of local pork will then be reduced.

M.G. DEVA, Kuala Lumpur

Source: NST – April 11, 2008