No more seizure of pig bristle paint brushes - Hamzah

Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin has issued an instruction for its ministry to stop seizing paint brushes made of pig bristles.

He said the ministry's enforcement officers had stopped conducting the raids as of yesterday (Wednesday) evening.

"Yesterday at the post-Cabinet meeting, I told my officers that we should be more prudent and ordered that they stop doing raids on shops immediately.

"I also told them to not make it look as though it is a big problem in the country," Hamzah told reporters on Thursday.

Also present Federation of Sundry Goods Merchants Associations of Malaysia president Hong Chee Meng, SME Association of Malaysia president Datuk Kang Hua Keong, and Malaysia Steel And Metal Distributors Association president Low Cheng Ho.

Meanwhile, Hamzah said traders are given a month to label the brushes correctly by specifying if they are made of pig or dog bristles.

"There are already existing laws to have labels for such products. After fair warning to traders and if we find that there are still traders who fail to comply, we will take action against them," he said.

However, he stressed that the traders should be more ethical and label products made from animal bristle to avoid confusion, especially among Muslim consumers.

"We only ask traders to merely write on a piece of A4 paper with the words 'These products are made of animal bristles'.

"If they are unsure of the origin, also state that 'We are unsure of the material used in this product, whether or not it is made of animal bristles'. It is that simple," he said.