Public warned against buying smuggled pork over disease risks, says Rundi

KUCHING (Feb 20): The public has been urged not to purchase smuggled pork, as it poses serious disease risks that could devastate Sarawak’s livestock industry.

Sarawak Minister for Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom said smuggled pork may carry diseases of major economic importance such as Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) and African Swine Fever (ASF), which could severely impact the state’s swine sector.

He explained that pork is smuggled into Sarawak due to strong demand and lower prices, as syndicates avoid paying the 10 sen per kilogramme import permit fee.

The smuggled products are believed to originate from countries such as China, Vietnam and Thailand, which are currently banned due to their disease status, including not being free from FMD and ASF, he told The Borneo Post.

Dr Rundi was commenting on a recent operation conducted by the General Operations Force (GOF) in collaboration with the Sarawak Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) involving smuggled pork products.

He also clarified that it is not true that only pork from Germany and Denmark is allowed into Sarawak.

He pointed out that pork imports are permitted from Denmark, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands, as these countries are recognised as FMD-free without vaccination and free from ASF, although import volumes remain low due to higher prices.

“Smuggled pork may spread diseases of economic importance and could devastate the livestock industry in Sarawak. Therefore, we advise the public not to buy such products,” he said.

He stressed that consumers should support the local industry by purchasing locally produced pork, which is fresh, safe and of high quality.

The joint operation by GOF and DVS last week led to the seizure of more than 15,000 kilogrammes of frozen pork products here.

Sarawak GOF commander SAC Lim Bak Phai said the raid was carried out based on intelligence gathered by the authorities, and during the operation a 32-year-old local man was detained for further investigation.

A total of 15,756kg of frozen pork products were confiscated, with the overall value of the seizure estimated at RM5.25 million.

The case has since been handed over to DVS Sarawak for further action under Section 9 (1) of the Veterinary Public Health Ordinance 1999.