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Govt importing live pigs from Sarawak to stabilise supply, Dewan Rakyat hears
KUALA LUMPUR: The government has started importing live pigs from Sarawak as part of its intervention measures to stabilise supply and prices, with new applications from exporters also in the pipeline, says Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup
The Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister said a total of 1,600 live pigs have already arrived at Port Klang for slaughter, helping to offset reduced local output due to African swine fever (ASF).
'This number is expected to rise in the coming months as we continue to receive new applications,' he told the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (Aug 18).
Arthur said Malaysia's pig population had fallen sharply from 1.86 million in 2021 to 1.24 million last year, following ASF outbreaks and rising feed costs.
For the long term, he said the government is pushing for modern pig farming practices and the establishment of pig farming areas (PFAs) in producing states, including a major project in Tongod, Sabah.
'The Tongod PFA, with an estimated cost of RM26mil for infrastructure, will ensure more integrated farming, higher biosecurity standards, better pollution control and sustainable practices,' he said.
Arthur added that farms would soon be required to adopt closed-farming and compartmentalisation methods as part of mandatory licence renewals, aimed at reducing reliance on imports while strengthening Malaysia's disease-control capacity.
Malaysia's pork self-sufficiency level (SSL) stood at 67.8% in 2024, he said, stressing that adequate supply of pork also helped stabilise the prices of other proteins such as chicken, beef and fish.
On enforcement, Arthur said the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services (Maqis) detected 24 cases of illegal pork smuggling between 2024 and July 2025, involving 640 metric tonnes of meat.
During the same period, he said the Veterinary Services Department (DVS) carried out 18 seizures of frozen carcasses and unauthorised transfers, amounting to 114 metric tonnes worth RM3.05mil across several states including Kelantan, Selangor, Johor, Kedah, Penang, Melaka and Labuan.
'Any illegal entry of pork will be dealt with firmly under the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Act 2011 (Act 728) and the Animals Act 1953 (Act 647).
'This includes heavy fines and court action against offenders,' Arthur said.
He said the ministry will continue to tighten enforcement, strengthen cooperation with neighbouring countries, and raise public awareness to combat risks from illegal meat imports, which could endanger public health and the livestock industry.
