Selangor speeds up closure of pig farms after ruler’s decree, raising farmers’ concerns over future

TANJUNG SEPAT, Selangor – Selangor’s 114 pig farms fear the worst for their future as the state government moves to expedite their closure.

This follows a decree by state ruler, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, to shut down porcine farms in the state.

The farms are located in Tanjung Sepat and Sepang, a coastal area near the Strait of Malacca and about 100km south-west of capital Kuala Lumpur.

One farmer, Mr Lee, lamented that his efforts to install a manure treatment plant had gone to waste, after he took on RM1 million (S$324,000) worth of bank loans.

“The government said we could borrow money for food production. We thought it was supporting pig-rearing. Now we will no longer be licensed for pig-rearing. If I can’t repay the monthly loan of RM30,000, I may go bankrupt,” the 40-year-old told The Straits Times on Feb 12.

Mr Lee is currently surviving on vegetable farming after the deadly African swine fever (ASF) ravaged his pig farm and forced the culling of his 1,000 pigs in early 2025.

He is one of three farmers who agreed to be interviewed. The trio asked not to be identified due to the sensitive nature of pig farming in the Muslim-majority nation.

To be sure, pig farms are a contentious issue in Malaysia. The animals are considered unclean, according to the tenets of Islam, and the consumption of pork is haram, or unlawful, for Muslims.

“His Royal Highness emphasised that he does not consent to pig farming being carried out in any district in the state,” Sultan Sharafuddin said in a statement issued by the Selangor Royal Office on Feb 10.

He added that “this pig-farming issue should be halted and finalised, as it causes anxiety to all parties and affects peace and social harmony”.

Selangor’s pig-farming industry – the third-largest in Malaysia in 2024, after Perak and Sarawak – was rebuked by the ruler over water and odour pollution in early January 2026.

An earlier plan by the Selangor government, led by ruling coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH), to relocate the pig farms to Bukit Tagar, a sparsely populated area in northern Selangor, has been shelved following the Sultan’s statement.

Local Malay residents around Bukit Tagar had lodged strong objections owing to its proximity to Sungai Selangor, a major water treatment plant that supplies 60 per cent of the water to Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim intervened on Jan 23 by suggesting a halt to the proposed centralised pig farming project in Bukit Tagar.

Three weeks later, following the Selangor ruler’s decree on Feb 10, Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said the state government had stopped issuing pig farming licences and accelerated the closure of all existing farms.

“Currently, 70 per cent of non-Muslim demand for pork is sourced from other states. All pork will be imported following the state Cabinet’s decision,” Datuk Seri Amiruddin said in a statement on Feb 12.

Painful to see efforts go in vain

Another pig farmer, Mr Lim, 60, said he is confused about the state’s policy, given that it had earlier announced relocation plans.

“I invested millions of ringgit to build a modern pig farm – hundreds of sows, four boars, feed and construction materials for the manure-treatment plant were all ordered to start operations,” he told ST.

While able to cushion some losses, Mr Lee said it is painful to see that his efforts were in vain.

Requiring significant capital investment, a modern pig farm is a closed system that focuses on stringent biosecurity practices, including lorry decontamination and using protective gear, to minimise pig-related diseases such as ASF and the Nipah virus.

Odour and manure pollution are kept to a minimum in such a system, the farmers said.

Most pig farms in Selangor currently operate using a traditional open-air system, which is cheaper but carries higher biosecurity risks and produces untreated effluent and odour.

A source from the Selangor government said the state has deferred enforcement since 2025 against pig farms, the majority of which did not meet air ventilation and effluent discharge standards.

“Seventy of the 114 farms are being compounded for non-compliance with Veterinary Department requirements,” said the source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue.

To cushion the impact of the reduction in Selangor’s live pigs and meet the rising demand for pork during Chinese New Year, the Malaysian government has allowed imports of chilled and frozen pork from 70 abattoirs in 10 countries.

Discounts of up to 20 per cent are being offered at 50 retail outlets nationwide as the government urges sellers to keep pork prices affordable.

But political scientist Phoon Wing Keong said the Selangor government’s decision to curb pig production will not go down well with ethnic Chinese voters, many of whom have backed PH and its component parties, the Chinese-led Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Datuk Seri Anwar’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), since 2008.

“While the issue appears to be linked to the (Selangor) Sultan’s decree on the surface, there has been no attempt by the federal and local governments to resolve the plight of pig farmers. This has exacerbated the perception that non-Muslim rights and identity politics are being overlooked,” said Dr Phoon, the head of Huayan Policy Institute, a Chinese Malaysian community think-tank.

The Chinese community may worry about a domino effect, with the pig farming ban spreading to other states, as “DAP can’t even defend the pig rearing industry, which is a major food source for the Chinese”, he added.

After the Selangor government’s move to expedite the closure of pig farms, Housing and Local Government Minister and DAP vice-chairman Nga Kor Ming and Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry and PKR member Sim Tze Tzin urged the state to proactively discuss the issue with the Sultan, to find a solution for pig farmers.

A beleaguered Mr Lee said all he can do is to continue vegetable farming, after ASF ravaged his pig farm.

“All the equipment can only be sold as scrap metal. We can’t sell farming equipment to other states for fear of spreading the ASF virus,” he said.