KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 28 — Centralised or modern pig farming (MPF) can help protect public health and reduce environmental pollution, said the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS).
The federal agency said key elements of MPF include the use of a closed-house system, implementation of Good Animal Husbandry Practices (GAHP), the establishment of buffer zones of at least 200 metres, and effective waste management systems—either zero discharge or controlled discharge below 50 ppm.
In addition, planned and regulated farm siting allows disease prevention and control measures to be carried out more effectively.
“The implementation of modern pig farming can reduce the risk of zoonotic diseases, protect public health, and support the sustainability of the national livestock industry,” DVS told CodeBlue yesterday in an email response.
DVS said MPF or centralised pig farming also generally helps to reduce the negative impacts of environmental pollution, especially pollution of public drains, rivers, odour, and solid waste such as manure and food waste.
“This approach not only controls pollution but also ensures more systematic and environmentally friendly waste management, where centralised systems and high-technology waste treatment controls that are more economical can be developed,” said DVS.
The agency cited two main principles of waste management requirements for MPF: zero discharge, and centralised and modern management.
With zero discharge, there is no discharge of solid or liquid waste into public drainage systems. All waste materials are fully processed within the farm system; fully treated water can be reused by the farm for activities such as pen washing.
Centralised and modern management, on the other hand, facilitate pollution control because operations are more regulated. It also reduces the risk of uncontrolled pollution compared to scattered small-scale farms.
“Therefore, if waste management principles are practised and complied with in pig farming, environmental pollution risks can be reduced.”
Modern Pig Farming Reduces Risk Of Nipah Virus Outbreaks
DVS sought to dispel misconceptions tying MPF to risk of a Nipah virus outbreak, saying that centralised pig farming actually cuts the risk of zoonotic disease transmission.
“The perception that modern pig farming projects automatically increase the risk of a Nipah outbreak is inaccurate,” said DVS.
“In reality, the Nipah virus originates from fruit bats as the natural reservoir, while pigs act as amplifier hosts only under certain conditions. This perception stems from the 1998–1999 outbreak experience, which involved traditional farms with weak biosecurity.
“Modern pig farms today operate with closed systems, strict biosecurity, and better site planning, which reduce the risk of disease transmission to humans and surrounding communities.”
DVS explained that the main cause of the spread of the 1999 Nipah outbreak among pigs was the movement of pigs between farms, districts, or states. Epidemiological investigations found that the virus originated from fruit bats (Pteropus), while pigs acted as potential amplifier hosts.
“If pig farms are scattered and not concentrated in a single area, disease control efforts become more difficult during an outbreak because monitoring, enforcement, and emergency response cannot be carried out comprehensively and uniformly,” said the agency.
“In contrast, strategically centralised pig farming locations enable disease prevention and control measures to be implemented more efficiently and effectively through well-planned farm biosecurity systems.”
DVS declined to answer questions specific to the Bukit Tagar centralised pig farming project, referring CodeBlue to the Selangor state government.
Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari announced yesterday a suspension of the Bukit Tagar project in Hulu Selangor following heavy criticism, saying alternative sites would be identified.