He said the ministry has taken several measures, including banning all live pigs and frozen pork from six countries - China, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Russia and Ukraine.
“The government views the matter seriously and has taken proactive measures to stop the entry of the virus to Malaysia via the import of pigs and pork products,” Sim told reporters after a meeting with stakeholders and pig farmers about the risks of ASF.
"We cannot allow the local pig industry to be threatened like the Nipah virus outbreak. We want the industry to understand the importance of taking care of the environment, reducing pollution and being more competitive.”
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has expressed concerns the disease may threaten the Korean peninsula and countries in Southeast Asia if China does not stop the outbreak fast.
"The domestic production of pork is insufficient to meet demand and the additional supply of 25,321 tonnes of pork is met with imports from Germany, China, Spain, Vietnam and several other countries,” said Sim.
Every application for pork import has to go through stringent analysis and risks by the Veterinary Services Department, he added.
Source: Bernama
"We cannot allow the local pig industry to be threatened like the Nipah virus outbreak. We want the industry to understand the importance of taking care of the environment, reducing pollution and being more competitive.”
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has expressed concerns the disease may threaten the Korean peninsula and countries in Southeast Asia if China does not stop the outbreak fast.
"The domestic production of pork is insufficient to meet demand and the additional supply of 25,321 tonnes of pork is met with imports from Germany, China, Spain, Vietnam and several other countries,” said Sim.
Every application for pork import has to go through stringent analysis and risks by the Veterinary Services Department, he added.
Source: Bernama
