Pigs track with RFID

Malaysia will give locally-reared pigs embedded identity discs in a bid to stop the illegal slaughter and distribution of meat that is unfit for human consumption, reports said Sunday.

This follows the revelation by Malaysian pork sellers association chief Goh Chui Lai over the weekend that unhealthy pigs were being slaughtered at illegal abattoirs, resulting in unhygienic meat being distributed nationwide.

Malaysian veterinary services department chief Abdul Aziz Jamaluddin told the New Straits Times daily that radio-frequency identification (RFID) disc would now be placed beneath the skin of each pig in order to track it.

"Any mismatch between the number of pigs reared in each farm and the number slaughtered at licensed abattoirs will be considered suspicious," he told the paper.

"Normally, pig farmers will only send healthy animals to licensed abattoirs. However, some are known to send the unhealthy ones to illegal abattoirs, which mainly operate in (central) Selangor and Negri Sembilan (states)," he added.

Confirming Abdul Aziz's comments, a senior veterinary department official told AFP the rollout was expected to begin by the middle of the year.

Health ministry officials said they were also investigating the distribution of unhygienic pork. Illegal abattoirs continue to operate in Malaysia despite regular crackdowns.