Kedah pig slaughterers have expressed satisfaction at the alternative abattoir site that was identified by the State Veterinary Department but there were still some concerns yet to be resolved.

According to Kedah Pig Slaughterers Association chairperson Liew Lib Kooi, the alternative site for their abattoir has been relocated to Kuala Muda at Kampong Sungai Tok Pawang but is still subject to the approval of Kedah state government.

kedah pig abattoir demolished 010709 09 "The location of our new abattoir is located near an oil palm estate and there are about 20 Indian families staying nearby and the land belongs to a group of pig farmers," Liew told Malaysiakini .

"We are confident that the abattoir at this new site will not cause any disturbance to the residents ," he added.

Earlier this month, the Alor Star Municipal Council had demolished the sole pig abattoir in the state, claiming that it was operating without a license.

The incident angered pig slaughterers who said the decision caused them to suffer severe financial losses and other problems.

The demolition sparked a massive row that led to the Kedah DAP pulling out from the state Pakatan coalition government.

The party claimed that the action was the last straw after tolerating Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak's policies which they said were made without consulation.

Costly new abattoir

Despite the progress in the efforts locating a new abattoir in Kedah, Liew is still not very optimistic of the plan.

"Finding us a new location for our abattoir did not require a single cent. Building a new one requires a huge amount of money and our major concern is that the state government did not assure us that they will pay for our new abattoir," Liew said.

kedah pig abattoir demolished 010709 04 Liew added that on July 16, officials from Environment Department will do an assessment report, stating the environmental requirements that needed to be fulfilled in order to operate a new abattoir that includes the need for a filtering pool.

According to Liew, the function of a filter pool is to filter the waste liquids produced after the pigs are slaughtered.

He said that the pool will prevent water pollution and this was the main reason why the previous abattoir was demolished.

Liew also said they faced difficulties in paying for the cost of building a new abattoir and the filter pool, which were expensive to purchase and maintain.

"In the previous abattoir, there were only 27 of us, slaughtering less than 100 pigs per day. How are we going to pay for all these costs without government assistance?" he asked.