The Malacca government today said that it wanted to slaughter some 50,000 pigs in the state because the stench and pollution from unlicensed farms had become unbearable.

Ismail Salleh, Malacca's state secretary, told AFP that the number of pigs in one state should not exceed 50,000, but that there were about 140,000 in Malacca, most raised on farms operating without licences.

"Locals were only unhappy with those farmers operating without proper licences and they could not stand the smell," he said. "And in certain areas, the water pollution was very bad."

Ismail added that the livestock was being culled to protect public health.

The 50,000 on unlicensed farms were being slaughtered immediately, while another 20,000 excess pigs on legal farms would be spared for now.

"The problems are not the pigs but irresponsible farmers who are thinking about only the business part," he said.

60% of pigs will have to go

However, Malacca Livestock Rearers Association spokesman Albert Yong said he feared the government planned to target thousands more pigs on licensed farms.

"We can understand the government want to cull the pigs on unlicensed farms, but to have a target of killing more than 60 percent of the total number of pigs in Malacca does not make sense," he said.

"A few bad hats does not mean everyone is not following rules and regulation."

A spokeswoman for the Malaysian Swine Exporters Association said that each pig would sell at market for about RM1,000, and that farmers faced huge losses.

The carcasses were being destroyed and not sold for food, she said.

There was a tense stand-off today in three new villages where a number of pig farms are located as the authorities moved in to cull the pigs.

About 300 police faced off 100 villagers in Paya Mengkuang, Malacca, for seven hours before the situation eased after the authorities withdrew after talks were carried out.