Govt Quarantines 30 Pig Farms Found Using Beta-Agonist

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 18 (Bernama) -- Thirty pig farms nationwide have been placed under a one-month quarantine for injecting the animals with beta-agonist, which contaminated 16 per cent of pork in the market.
"They will also not be allowed to slaughter or relocate their animals during the quarantine period," Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek told a press conference, here Monday.
"The abuse of beta-agonist was discovered following checks by the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry on 415 pig farms nationwide," he said.
He said most of the errant farms are located in Melaka, Selangor, Perak and Penang. Pig farms in Johor and Kedah are free of the drug.
Beta-agonist is a bronchodilator medicine that opens the airways by relaxing the muscles around airways that may be tightened during an asthma attack or in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The medicine was jabbed into pigs to reduce their fat and make their meat more lean.
Chua said the beta-agonist content in pork at the 30 farms had reached 6,500 parts per million (ppm), which is among the highest in the world.
"We have to be strict in this matter as these errant farmers will kill the RM1.5 billion industry," he said.
He said several pork sellers will be charged in court for selling meat containing beta-agonist and face a fine of up to RM100,000 or 10 years jail or both upon conviction.
He also said that all pig farmers would be required to make a statutory declaration they would not inject their animals with the beta-agonist drug.