But Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority says there is still a ban on pork imports from Malaysia.

The ban came into effect in March 1999, after the 1999 Nipah outbreak, which killed more than 100 pig farmers in Malaysia and an abattoir worker in Singapore.

State Veterinary Authority's senior assistant director Dr Chin Vei Ching said the farm was expected to meet some 30 per cent of Singapore's pork requirements by 2017.

'Seventy-seven pig farmers in Kuching and Samarahan Divisions have agreed to relocate their farms to Pasir Puteh in phases from late this year,' he said during a briefing on the project on Sunday.

Dr Chin said the RM70 milion (S$30 million) farm project on some 40ha was being carried out in three packages with both federal and state funding.

A company known as Farmers' Union Sdn Bhd has been set up to manage the farm which would have environmental-friendly production methods to reduce pollution. - THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK