PETALING JAYA: The government will compensate farmers for pigs that were culled due to African swine fever (ASF), says Chan Foong Hin.
The Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister said farmers in Melaka received their compensation in April while those affected by the ASF outbreak in Penang would be finalised soon.
“The previous government approved RM11mil in compensation to pig farmers who had to cull their pigs.
“Compensation for each adult pig ranged from RM400 to RM800, subject to certain conditions,” he told a press conference yesterday.
“However, only pig farms registered with the Veterinary Services Department are eligible.”
He said affected pig farm owners must come forward for the compensation and that it will be managed by the department.
“At present, the domestic pork market is adequate except for the reduced production of local pigs but imported pork can meet local demand.
“We do not rule out the possibility of a particular party exploiting the shortage of local pork in order to raise the prices,” he said, adding that for now, the government has no intention to set a ceiling price for pork.
Meanwhile, Malaysia Association of Pork Products Importers and Exporters president Datuk Lai Poh Chon said the amount of imported pork this year had increased by 30% since the ASF outbreak in pig farms.
According to data from the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry, Malaysia imported 25,800 tonnes of frozen pork last year and 5,200 tonnes as of February this year from countries such as Spain, Denmark, Belgium and Australia.
In February, Penang declared the ASF outbreak a “disaster” after cases were reported in 30 commercial pig farms involving 68,659 pigs with 14,385 pigs being culled from 16 farms.
Currently, there is no effective vaccine against ASF.
Local pork prices were at RM1,700 per 100kg in April which could rise further as local farmers cut production.
