S'pore resumes pig imports

S'pore resumes pig imports

SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore on Monday resumed live pig imports from Indonesia, but a ban on neighboring Malaysia remained in force, after an outbreak of a fatal pig-borne virus, officials said.

The Primary Production Department (PPD) said the first shipment of 810 pigs arrived from a Singapore government-approved farm in Pulau Bulan in Indonesia early Monday under stringent conditions.

The pigs were inspected by Singapore authorities prior to shipment and again on arrival, the PPD said.

Singapore banned the import of live pigs last month under emergency measures to rid the island of encephalitis viruses which killed one Singaporean and about 100 people in Malaysia.

Singapore officials said that, for food safety and hygiene reasons, the meat would be chilled immediately after slaughter at a new abattoir.

Refrigerated trucks will then carry the carcasses to government-approved meat cutting plants and then to wet markets. Stallholders selling pork have been asked to install chillers.