Deputy minister Chan Foong Hin says the pig farming issue, at its core, concerns the environment.
“But if we do not manage it well, it will escalate into some other problems, such as social issues, and in the worst-case scenario, racial and religious tensions.
“So, it is very important for all other pig farmers and also the industry players to learn from the Penang experience on how to manage it (issues),” he told reporters on the sidelines of a pre-launching ceremony for a biogas facility at Kampung Valdor in Jawi.
Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow was also in attendance.
Chan credited Penang for providing a solution for industry players through this biogas facility, enabling them to properly manage pig farm waste.
This first-of-its-kind facility produces biogas from pig waste collected from 20 farms in Kampung Valdor, home to around 30,000 pigs. In future phases, the facility will have the capacity to process waste from up to 90,000 pigs.
Shutdown of pig farms in Selangor
On a separate matter, Chan assured that the shutdown of pig farms in Selangor would not significantly affect the country’s pork self-sufficiency level (SSL), currently at 65%, as Malaysia supplements its SSL with imported pork.
“But in the long run, we still need to ensure that the non-Muslim community will still enjoy the right to practise their own culture and to have their own major protein source,” he added.
On Feb 12, Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari was reported to have said that the state government had stopped issuing pig farming licences in January. He said that all pig farms currently operating in Selangor would be closed in stages.
State ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah had on Wednesday called for a complete end to pig farming in Selangor, citing the environmental impact caused by such farms as well as the state’s demographics.
Biogas facility in Kg Selamat
At the same press conference, it was announced that a plot of land had been identified in Kampung Selamat, Tasek Gelugor, for a similar biogas facility to be built by 2029.
Kampung Selamat residents have long complained about pig farming in the area, which they said was polluting Sungai Kereh. They said the farms had been operating there for more than 40 years, causing a foul smell and affecting their rice crops.