Pig farms to be relocated - The Star

TAPAH: Pig farmers have the right to a livelihood but the state government plans to relocate the farms to ensure the pigs are raised in a clean, healthy and disease-free environment.

State executive council member A. Sivanesan said the issue was sensitive and he would like to meet the farmers to work out a solution.

“We plan to relocate the farmers to a particular site where they can continue their business in a clean, healthy and JE (Japanese Encephalitis)-free environment,” said Sivanesan, who is also state Health, Environment and Human Resources Committee chairman.

There are 32 farms and 150,301 pigs in the district, which stretches from Tanjung Malim to Bidor and here. The area has the state's biggest pig-farming industry that in the past has been hit by diseases such as JE and the Nipah Virus.

Sivanesan said most of the farms were in Bidor and the stench from them could be “overbearing” at times.

“We understand it is their livelihood and we have to find a way to resolve the problem. We can’t just push them aside,” he said, adding that the industry involved many families and the market.

[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/4/9/nation/20889706&sec=nation]