Only Solution

Modern farming is the only solution (29/04/08)

When we talking about pig farm, we must never ignore the JE and Nipah epidemic happened in Perak and Negeri Sembilan few years back.

Let us refresh ourselves. What is JE and what is Nipah? In simple word, people infected with JE via insects especially mosquitoes. Nipah virus however is quite different, pigs can spread the virus to human being directly without any vectors.

I went to Lukut recently and visited my friend who is a teacher at Tanah Merah, a small town very near to Bukit Pelanduk. You may not know where is Tanah Merah but I’m sure you heard about Bukit Pelanduk before! This is the place where so many pig farmers (some say even armies) killed because of the Nipah virus.

Bukit Pelanduk once housed wealthy farmers who rear pigs outnumbered the demand for Negeri Sembilan. Once reporter even told me that most of the residents even secondary school student at secondary school there drove luxurious cars, quite different with most kampong boys in other places.

After the epidemic, farmers plant dragon food at Bukit Pelanduk while many migrated to the town.

Like other farms is Malaysia (including Tanjung Sepat), Chinese in Bukit Pelanduk rear pigs the traditional way, which mean they rear pigs around their houses and pigs are all around the kampong.

With an unhygienic method, it is understandable why virus spread easily and this is also the reason why Malays so sensitive to pig. Scientific studies do prove that pig’s dung is very poisonous.

I must say that Tanjung Sepat is really polluted with pigs’ dung, it is easily visible at the sea shore there. Malay dailies not create headline, they are reporting the truth instead.

BUT the truth however is beyond what reported. The residents in Tanjung Sepat must understand that modern farming as proposed by Selangor state government is the only solution for the problems faced by them.

Modern farming promise less area being polluted while centralized waste control will make sure no pigs’ dung dispose to rivers or seaside. Instead the waste will be collected and use for a good purpose, even to generate power.

It is quite impossible to close own all farms in Tanjung Sepat but it is possible to centralize it and using a modern method to reduce or even curb pollution!

For the pig farmers, here is some message for you! Don’t be selfish! Many of you guys are ignoring the interest of Malays and pork eaters (like me). The environment spoiled, same as the health of pork eaters.

But not all pig farmers are bad guy, there is still good farmer just like the one I heard in Sepanggar at Sabah.

The farmers spend a huge sum to develop waste management on pigs’ dung and kill “extra” piggies periodically. When the pig population is controlled then it does help to prevent deceases.

Unlike this responsible farmer, many others want to earn more and never consider control the pigs’ population. They thought this is a waste, at the end there is too much pigs and causing so many sensitive issues, just like the one happened in Melaka recently.

Is killing baby pig to totally a waste? No! piggies is demanded for religious ceremony among Chinese. Go to a prayer meeting among the Taoist, it is not hard for u to see a baby pig posing as a “superman” in front of Guan Yi Go.