The Mentri Besar’s announcement that the Bukit Tagar pig farming project has been shelved leaves a critical question unanswered: what is the future of the existing pig farmers in Tanjung Sepat, Kuala Langat?
These farmers—some operating for three generations—are now trapped in a policy vacuum. Prior to His Royal Highness the Sultan’s Second Decree, during a meeting between MCA Selangor representatives and the Pig Farmers Association, I clearly conveyed that active assistance from the state Chinese excos is essential.
Regrettably, the local ADUN, who is also the Exco in charge, has taken a position unsupportive of existing farms and has strongly favoured relocation—an option that no longer exists following the shelving of the Bukit Tagar project.
It must be clearly stressed that the real challenges are environmental management and disease control, not pig farming itself.
The Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) initially imposed 11 conditions, later consolidated by the local authorities into three core requirements:
1) Zero discharge – While achieving 100% zero discharge may be technically impossible in the short term, farmers are willing and able to implement practical systems that meet acceptable environmental standards.
2) Fully covered farming systems to effectively address odour issues.
3) Effective disease control within farm perimeters, in accordance with DVS guidelines.
Farmers have expressed both the willingness and capability to comply. These issues are manageable and resolvable.
However, even after making substantial financial investments, farmers are given no assurance of licence approval, nor any certainty that land-use conversion will be granted—without which operating licences cannot be issued. This lack of coordination and policy clarity has placed farmers at a dead end, despite their readiness to modernise.
In line with His Royal Highness the Sultan’s First Decree, we firmly support the modernisation of pig farming at existing locations, rather than forced closure within the next seven months.
At this critical juncture, only decisive State Exco intervention can break the impasse. The State Exco must coordinate the DVS, local authorities, land offices, and environmental agencies to provide a clear, fair, and workable pathway forward—similar to how the State Government successfully addressed illegal factories under the “Skim Pemutihan Kilang Tanpa Izin.”
The pig farmers of Tanjung Sepat supply essential food to the non-Muslim community, contribute to the economy, and pay taxes like all Malaysians. They deserve solutions, clarity, and fair treatment—not prolonged uncertainty.
Datuk Hoh Hee Lee
Selangor MCA Legal Bureau chairman
The above statement is issued following a meeting attended by Pig Farmers Association members and Selangor MCA liaison committee representatives.
