Melaka pig farmers must adopt modern technology - Exco

Pig farmers in Melaka have been given until the end of next year to change to modern pig farming practices if they wish to continue running their farms, said State Agriculture and Entrepreneurial Development Committee chairman Datuk Hasan Abdul Rahman.

He said the move was to prevent unpleasant odour and water pollution especially in Sungai Tuang at Masjid Tanah here due to conventional method of releasing pig farm wastes into the river.

He said the state government and related agencies have for too long compromised with the farmers on the need to change their ways but many were still adamant and not willing to adopt to modern methods.

"So it is about time that Melaka adopt modern pig farming practices in line with green technology solutions which we have been practising," he said at the Love Our Rivers Phase 2 Programme pre-launch at Sungai Tuang here, today.

Earlier at the event which was also attended by Taboh Naning state assemblyman Datuk Latipah Omar, about 3,000 mud balls were tossed into the river in an effort to clean up the pollution caused by pig farming activities in the area.

Elaborating, Hasan said all expenses incurred for the implementation of modern technology must be borne fully by the farmers as the state government was not investing on the modern equipment.

In the meantime, he said the state government would give a month for 30 pig farmers who were operating 36 farms around Paya Mengkuang at Masjid Tanah to comply with the conditions as set in the proposal for Pig Farm Licensing Paper 2017.

He said the proposal would be tabled in the state executive council meeting soon to ensure that all farmers have a licence and pig farmers who do not comply with the licence terms would be ordered to stop operation until they conformed to the regulations.

"The introduction of the pig farming licence seeks to empower the state government to take stern action against farmers who still do not comply with the law through the relevant agencies such as the Veterinary Services Department," he said.

It was detected that 22 pig farms were still not complying with the terms of the licencing proposal but the farmers have been given the chance to change their farm operating and management system before the licence is enforced, he added.

-- BERNAMA