Pork prices in Malaysia have reached an all-time high as supply shrinks due to outbreaks of disease and the closure of pig farms, a report said today.

The Star daily said prices had exceeded levels seen during periods of high demand like Chinese New Year and were running at RM660 per 100 kilos, compared to RM500 a year ago.

Chia Keok Keong, treasurer of the Federation of Livestock Farmers Associations of Malaysia, said that with many states determined to close down pig farms, farmers were unwilling to invest in increasing production.

He said Malaysia's pork output suffered a 40 percent drop after a Nipah virus outbreak in 1999 which saw farms in affected areas close down while resulting restrictions in other states had also discouraged farmers.

"We neither control nor manipulate the price. If we could, we would want it to go up to RM960 per 100 kilos," he told the daily.

Closure of farms

Another pig farmer said that an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease in several states last October had killed many pigs, worsening the shortage.

In Melaka, the government has closed several pig farms which are accused of polluting water catchment areas with run-off and waste.

Some consumer groups have called for the government to immediately close all pig farms in the country after a series of water pollution scares.

As most pig farms are run by ethnic Chinese in the multicultural country, the closures have caused racial tensions and accusations that the farmers are being victimised.

Pigs are considered unclean under Islamic precepts and Muslims are forbidden to eat pork.