[side note: the English language sure can be strange. It just occured to me that for pig meat, we have a specific word i.e. pork. For cattle, we have beef. For chicken, we have chicken, fish, fish... hmmmm no wonder some have a hard time grasping the language]
I think that the whole world is aware that the swine industry in Malaysia suffered a massive blow a few years ago, due to the Japanese Encephalitis (J.E) virus or Nipah virus as it is more commonly known. Basically, the pigs were infected by this virus and the disease could be transmitted to humans, via mosquitoes. Hundreds of people were killed due to this virus, and many more were in critical conditions for months. So basically, the government started killing most of the pigs in Malaysia. As I understand it, over a million pigs were killed in an effort to curb the disease.
Till today, the outbreak of this disease remains a mystery. There have been conflicting views on the origins of this virus. Some liken it to the Hendra virus, which emerged in Australia in the mid 1990s. In those outbreaks, a horse trainer and a breeder died after coming into contact with sick horses. Some thought that it originated from fruit bats, poor sanitation etc. Then, I spoke to a pig farmer who told me that the common belief amongst the pig farmers was that it originated from this horse ranch, owned by Muslim royalty. In a nutshell, this person imported horses from all over the world and our quarantine laws didn't really apply to him (go figure). This horse ranch was located next to a pig farm and coincidentally, the disease outbreak started in this region. I don't know if this theory is true or not but it is the common belief of pig farmers around Malaysia. Come to think about it, it doesn't really surprise me for politically, if it is true, the government would naturally want to hush the story up as pig farming is a sensitive issue in this country as approximately 65% of the population is Muslim. And IF the outbreak did start off at this horse ranch, belonging to this Muslim royalty, it could be a political nightmare.
Naturally, after the outbreak of this virus, the pig industry went into a slump. The supply of the meat was in decline as the government basically eradicated most pigs found in the country and the demand for the meat decreased rapidly for people were scared of eating infected pigs. I read a few reports and articles which stated that Malaysia is a big exporter of pigs, particularly to Singapore which imports 3000 live pigs a DAY! This is a serious loss of income for Malaysia. Thus, regardless of the religious aspects, Malaysia as a country NEEDS pigs in order to help balance our budget deficit. If I remember correctly, pigs are worth RM400 million in export revenue yearly. Then, if the meat isn't available locally, we have to import it, which means further expense for Malaysia as a country.
During the course of my research, I learnt some very interesting facts about pigs... (and myself)
for each breeding cycle, some 8 - 18 piglets are born
500 pigs can eat up to 70 TONNES of food per WEEK
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So I learnt a lot but now, I want to tell you about the plight of the farm and farmer that I visited. I don't know what I expected when I first met the farmer but he was NOT what I expected. This farmer (an engineer by profession) and his siblings have been educated overseas, i.e. in America and have come back to take over the family business. Apparantly, this pig farm was started by his grandfather and they have been doing it for donkey's years. The family owns the land outright and when they first started out, there was no development in the area. Now, there is a golf course less than 50m from the farm and a housing development some 200m away.
Mid this year, they were given notice to vacate the premises, and they had 3 months to do so. It didn't matter that the family owns the land, or that they have been there for ages but as the government said that it wasn't a designated pig farming zone, they had to move.
They were allocated another plot of land, some 45 minutes drive away, right in the thick of a forest reserve. Rather than fight with the government, they complied. They hired workers to work 24 x 7 to clear the land and to build it up to accommodate a new pig farm. They even built housing and a canteen for their workers so they wouldn't waste time travelling. Aside from the tight time frame, they had to submit weekly, PICTORIAL reports on the progress of their move. So, the farmer bought a digital camera and learnt how to use it. I have to say, he is a very meticulous fellow as he showed us his file on the project... memos, copies of reports etc were filed scrupulously.
They even dug up a few ponds to process the pig waste, the biggest being 100 feet deep and 5 acres in diameter (as shown here).
They started tearing down the old farm and rebuilding the new farm. However, 3 months wasn't enough to move the buildings and some 15,000 pigs, so they requested an extension. They were granted the extension. However, a few weeks after the extension, they were informed that there was some bureaucratic mix up and that the land that they were allocated ISN'T a designated pig farming zone and that they would have to vacate it as well!!
Now, they still have to vacate the land they own with no where to go!! Plus, they are out of the money they spent moving the farm. The government did say that they will be reimbursed but we all know that governments, being the way they are, will take their time in paying the money. Where the FUCK is the fairness in all this??!!! Now, this farmer, one of the sweetest guys I've ever met, is fed up with the entire situation. They have fought the government, threatened lawsuits etc but deep down, they know that they can't win. Also, this farmer, contracted the J.E. virus during the epidemic and was in a coma for about a month. His brother, died after 3 days of contracting the disease. He has basically given up and is now in the process of selling the animals and when the deadline comes, if there are no buyers for the animals, they will be exterminated. The farm will be shut down and what becomes of the land is anyone's guess. The value of the property is low compared to the surrounding area as it is a pig farm and Muslims will be hesitant to occupy it. I have to say that the look of defeat isn't a pleasant one.
Unfortunately, as this is Muslim country, fighting the majority is a no win situation. As pigs are a sensitive issue here, the plight of pig farmers, regardless if they are helping the country's economy or not is a perilous one as, as depicted above, anything can happen. It is as if these farmers have no rights and can be discarded like used socks.
So, what is my report going to say? When I started my research, I was working on 2001 figures and there was a shortfall of pigs. Well, Malaysia did have a pig shortage a while back but not so now as revealed in a 2002 report, released last week *sigh*. Apparently, there is a surplus as exporting this meat, whether frozen or live isn't a viable option right now as overseas markets have closed due to the virus outbreak. Singapore, our biggest buyer has closed its doors. Locally, Malaysian's aren't eating as much pork as they used to. So, even though there are less pigs in the country now, there is a surplus. These figures, plus the fact that pig farmers in Malaysia work in a very volatile political and religious climate makes investment in this industry a risky one. I am pretty sure that the industry will pick up but it will take time for consumers and the international market to feel confident in our product once again. So, for a "quick" investment, pig farming isn't the way to go.
Puffergal
Swine Consultant 
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