Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat, Amirudin (PH-Gombak) said the Selangor government, including his administration, had always planned to shut down traditional pig farms that had been polluting the environment, particularly those in Tanjung Sepat, Kuala Langat.
He said this issue was not new and had surfaced even when he and Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi (PN-Kuala Langat) were in the Selangor exco led by Azmin Ali from 2014 to 2018.
“The issue did not start in the past year. When (Yunus) was in the exco, the issue was already happening. Now, we want to tackle it.
“But when (Yunus) was in the state exco, he never visited those pig farms. Only after joining the opposition did he start visiting the farms,” he said when debating the king’s speech.
Amirudin maintained that the proposal for centralised pig farming was purely aimed at resolving this issue by relocating the farms to a suitable location far from residential areas, and utilising a closed farming system to prevent environmental damage.
This had been conveyed to the Selangor sultan who, he said, had received their explanation well.
However, he said, the matter had been sensationalised to the point that sentiments had overtaken the data that supported the state government’s proposal.
Amirudin said the Azmin-led state exco had received three proposal papers on implementing centralised pig farming.
“No investors wanted to do it because it was too costly. The (state) government also did not want to invest, as we felt that it was the responsibility of (industry players to take it up). Now, investors are coming,” he said.
He said centralised pig farming is already operating in Perak, Sarawak and Negeri Sembilan.
The Selangor government had scrapped its plans to introduce centralised pig farming in Bukit Tagar after public backlash to the proposal.
The proposal was aimed at improving waste management, modernising the industry and relocating 112 pig farms in Tanjung Sepat that have been accused of environmental pollution.
Acknowledging public debate around the now-cancelled proposal, Amirudin said the state government would not inform the public about future potential alternative locations until a decision was made.