IPOH: Perak will be taking its first step to modernising pig farms in the state, says Perak health executive council member A. Sivanesan (pic).
He said currently there were some 87 such farms in the state, after many had decided to close down due to the culling of pigs in view of the African Swine Fever (ASF), or to convert into chicken farms.
He said the state government had set up a special committee that would look into the restructuring project of the farms as well.
“The restructuring project will require full cooperation from the land and district offices.
“The Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) has culled nearly 9,000 pigs at farms infected with ASF since December.
“However with ASF, the export of pork from Perak is banned at the moment, and I will be meeting with the DVS director soon to discuss on the ban,” he told reporters after flagging off a 5km colour water fun run at Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta here Saturday (Feb 11).
Sivanesan added that the move to modernise such farms at the Federal level had been postponed since 2017.
“I am hoping that Perak can become the first state to carry out the restructuring project,” he said.
Citing an example, Sivanesan said there is a pig farm in Pusing that was totally modernised, where the pigs were placed in fully air-conditioned areas.
He said there was no smell, or any waste from the state-of-the-art facility.
“That farm is very well organised, and I am hoping for the other farms to follow suit as well,” he added.
On another matter, Sivanesan said he would be meeting the Health Minister on Feb 17 to discuss matters concerning health, as well as development of hospitals in the state.
He said among the important issues that would be discussed is the overcrowding of hospitals in the state.
“We do not want to sweep things under the carpet, instead we need to find solutions on how to overcome such issues.
“Generally, people are happy with the services provided at government hospitals, but their complaints are usually on the long waiting hours, as well as parking issues.
“We will try our best to find solutions to such problems,” he added.
