COMMENT If pigs could fly, would they be considered a national security threat? Would there be officially sanctioned seasons for shooting winged pigs as there are for shooting crows? Would Porky Pig be banned along with Zunar’s cartoons to preserve social equilibrium and national unity?
If pigs could fly, would it change the culinary tradition of non-Muslim Chinese or affect their belief in the yin-yang of pork consumption?
Unfortunately, it is as hard to imagine pigs soaring in the heavens as it is to imagine Malaysian authorities coming to a decision on the setting up of green pig farms, or PFAs, short for Pig-Farming Areas (PFAs).
It has been more than 10 years since the tragic outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis and the Nipah virus, but efforts to control pig-farming areas through the proposed setting up of PFAs remain in limbo.
The Malaysian swine industry faces challenges that seem insurmountable — land scarcity, cultural and religious sensitivities, unenthusiastic financial institutions and a federal ruling regime bending towards a policy to phase out pig farming in the country. As a result, Malaysian consumers are likely to have to pay more for pork in future.
Pig farming is part of the livestock industry, but unlike the production of beef, mutton and poultry, the production of pig meat has been falling, with the pig population decreasing from 2.44 million in 1997 to 1.8 million in 2008.
Official lethargy
Traders in processed pig meat products are already complaining of price increases, claiming that big pig-farm operators were gradually forming cartels and syndicates that determine prices dictatorially.
But up to this point, who should we really blame for the official lethargy that is preventing the swine industry from getting better?
What should be done? How can this industry be modernised while safeguarding both the physical environment and communal sensitivities?
For almost 11 years, this issue has been treated like a soccer ball; it has been kicked around between the federal government and the affected state authorities with no goals to show.
Indeed, there has been complete silence in recent years. The MCA has been more concerned with who should be its party president and Umno has been busy battling the Pakatan Rakyat. Meanwhile, the pig farmers have been carrying out their business as usual and maintaining their vigilance against the once-in-a-blue-moon enforcement authorities.
There is no nostalgic warmth for either the farmers or the pigs as rapid urbanisation continues to encroach into the farms and pollution problems continue to hog the environment.
Writing is on the wall
Despite the pledges of politicians (including the vague promises of MCA leaders) to work towards the goal of cleaning up the swine farming industry, the record leaves scant ground for optimism.
It was in October 2000 that MCA appointed a special committee to deliberate on government policies governing pig farming. But despite all those overseas trips to Denmark, Germany and London and all those feasible studies pertaining to land sizes, buffer zones, management techniques and waste treatment, only the project — in Negri Sembilan — may actually see the light of the day in the near future.
The issue came up again in Malacca in 2007, when more than 100 villagers including pig farmers had a tense stand-off with authorities threatening to cull the pig population in Paya Mengkuang, Manlok, Bukit Beruang and Air Molek.
Some claimed it was a political move to reduce the pig population from 140,000 to 48,000 though the excuses given were pollution and public complaints about the stench from the farms.
The writing is probably already on the wall. At best, the authorities will eventually allow only enough pig meat production for local consumption.
MCA’s ambitious rhetoric of 2000, in which it proposed one PFA zone each for Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Malacca, Penang, Kedah, Terengganu, Kelantan, Perlis and two PFA zones for Perak and Johor, has yet to be translated into any appearance of reality.
The JE-Nipah epidemic of the late 1990s put some 950 small farms out of business and they will never recover their flourishing levels of production.
Yes, it may be a blessing that pigs, no matter where they are, cannot fly. But that does not mean that pigs are not allowed to use elevators. Dutch architect Winy Maas has proposed a 600-metre skyscraper to be filled with pigs. He believes it will supply all the European countries with their pork needs.
Australia and many other countries have moved beyond installing modern and hygienic farms. They are conducting advanced researches to improve the quality of pig meat in order to reduce heart diseases and other ailments associated with pork consumption.
It is hard to imagine that pigs can fly, but it is harder to imagine that this government will eventually stop fiddling with how to allocate land for pig farming.
Stanley Koh is the former head of MCA research unit.
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