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.