KUCHING: Precious Food Products Sdn Bhd (Precious Food Product) is on a quest to change local mentality that fresh pork products can also be found in the supermarkets now and not just at the daily wet market.
Abattoir manager, Dr Francis Sia a former vet from the state veterinary department stated that in terms of standards, the company’s stringent guidelines ensured that the pork products produced at the facility were safer than anything that could be found in the wet market.
“We are following international guidelines as the products made here are for the export market. All equipment are sterilised after each animal so there’s no cross contamination.
“The practice of blast chilling the meat after cleaning and gutting and keeping them in a chiller also helps prevent the spread of potential diseases as bacteria and viruses will not survive extreme cold,” stated Sia.
The total investments made towards the abattoir was RM30 million with RM20 million for the abattoir and an estimated RM10 million for the chiller systems stated sales manager Lester Chung.
The abattoir was fully automated with the equipment completely online so troubleshooting could be done from the equipment manufacturer’s home country in Germany and at full capacity, the abattoir could process 120 units per hour on two eight hour shifts.
However, as the company was still new, it only processes once a week at roughly 100 per session.
“Despite the capability to process such high numbers, we still keep a very stringent quality control with two government meat inspectors checking every single animal for any diseases or contamination.
“We also monitor the supplier to ensure that it follows government guidelines and require appropriate certification for every supplier we contract,” stated Sia.
Sia further added that due to Sarawak’s high requirements for waste management for livestock, all solid waste from the abattoir was sent for incineration while liquid waste was channelled to a nearby biogas facility to produce electricity.
“The reason for the high standards is because the bulk of the processed products here is meant for export to countries like Singapore. There are certain standards that need to be followed for the product to be export standard and we are also applying such standards to what we cater locally.
“We do bacterial swabs on random meat samples, the equipment as well as the vicinity to doubly ensure the safety of our products as well,” Sia explained.
Despite chilled meats being able to last up to five days in the chiller, the company recalled any product that has been on the shelf for three days to ensure the freshness of the meat, Chung said.
“It is still an ongoing process to change the people’s mentality but we are taking every measure to keep our products fresh and with that I believe that sooner rather than later people will understand that fresh meat can be found elsewhere other than the markets and that you do not have to wake up really early in the morning to get it,” stated Chung.
Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/11/21/precious-food-production-on-quest-to-change-the-local-mentality-on-fresh-meat/#ixzz2CoAobf16
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Monday, April 30, 2012
Posted on April 26, 2012, Thursday
Global
fast food chain Burger King will soon be serving up morsels from free
range eggs and pigs, the company said in a statement Wednesday. (AFP
Photo/Robyn Beck) Global
fast food chain Burger King will soon be serving up morsels from free
range eggs and pigs, the company said in a statement Wednesday.
The
company — which has 12,500 locations worldwide — pledged to use 100
percent cage-free eggs in the US within five years and to only buy pork
from suppliers who stop using gestation crates to breed pigs.
The pledge was made in a joint statement with the Humane Society.
“For
more than a decade, Burger King Corp. has demonstrated a commitment to
animal welfare,” said Jonathan Fitzpatrick, chief brand and operations
officer. “We continue to
leverage our purchasing power to ensure the appropriate and proper
treatment of animals by our vendors and suppliers.”
The Humane Society, which lobbies for animal rights, welcomed the move.“These
changes by Burger King Corp. will improve life for countless farm
animals and encourage other companies to abide by animal welfare
principles up and down their supply chain,” said Wayne Pacelle, head of
the group. –AFP
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Pig farming land in Sibu approved
by Jane Moh, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on January 7, 2012, Saturday
FOR THE ALBUM: (from sixth right) Dr Chin, Wong, and Abdul Azziss at the dialogue session.
SIBU: The state government has approved a piece of land spanning 1,332 acres for centralised pig farming by the Sibu Livestock Farming Association (SLFA).
During a dialogue session with the association at the Land and Survey Department (LSD) here yesterday, Second Minister of Finance Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh announced that it was a yet-to-be-surveyed state land lying within the Licensed Planted Forest (LPF). “It is located at the boundary of Sibu-Bintulu divisions, about 1.2km from the main road and approximately 70km from Selangau Bazaar. “The nearest longhouse is about 2.6km away. So, there is no need to worry about the land being subjected to claims by natives on the ground.”
Wong said the earmarked area was suitable for pig farming as it was flat and on high ground.
“The site is about 1.2km from the main road, so it is easily accessible. Electricity and water can be connected from the main supply along the Sibu-Bintulu road.”
He told reporters that the association had been looking for a proper farming area for the last 10 years because pig farming is currently being carried out all over Sibu. Most of these farms could not comply with Natural Resource Environment Board (NREB) regulations, and thus were often slapped with compounds for environmental pollution.
“It is not their (pig farmers) fault because they started the farms about half a century ago. “Unless a new farm is set up, it is very difficult to meet all the legal requirements.” Association chairman Ling Chi Kiong, who was also present, said he would discuss with his committee on how to develop the land into a farming area. Also present were the project director (Pig Farming Area) of the Agriculture Department Dr Chin Vei Ching and LSD acting superintendant Abdul Azziss Abdul Kadir.
Pig farmers undecided about centralised centre
by Karen Bong and Wilfred Pilo, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on September 6, 2011, Tuesday
BIG FARM: The pig farming area in Pasir Puteh.
KUCHING: The centralised pig farming area located in Pasir Puteh, Simunjan, about 120km from here, will be in operation once the bio-gas waste treatment plant is completed, possibly by next year. All pig farmers in Kuching and Samarahan are expected to move to the 2,000-acre farm equipped with modern facilities, costing about RM163 million, making it the biggest pig farm in Sarawak.
Minister of Environment and Public Health, Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, when contacted recently, told The Borneo Post that the RM93 million bio-gas waste treatment plant was 70 per cent complete. “Now we are waiting for the plant to be completed. After that, we will make sure that the facilities are running before all the farmers can move there.
“We have also held several dialogues with the pig farmers from both Kuching and Samarahan divisions regarding the move but more discussions will need to be held,” he said. Wong, who is also Second Finance Minister, disclosed that 12 farmers have volunteered to move to the new site. “The ministry has issued letters to 72 licensed pig farmers in these two divisions, informing them that they can move to the site,” he said.Wong encouraged all the pig farmers to move together as it would save them cost and time.“And at the same time they could assist each other especially when problems arise,” he said.
Meanwhile, the chairman of Kuching and Samarahan Pig’s Farmers Association Dr Ng Siew Tsing confirmed that the government had issued letters to the pig farmers. A piece of land will be given to individual pig farmers to set up their business and they have been briefed on the breeding conditions, he revealed. “The only thing they have not been told is the amount they need to pay in land premium once they occupy the land,” he said.
However, it was understood that not all pig farmers have agreed to move as there were many aspects to the shift that had to be considered and solved beforehand, especially the cost of moving.
When The Borneo Post reporters approached a pig farmer who only wanted to be identified as Chai, a member of the Kuching and Samarahan Pig’s Farmer Association, they were informed that he was unlikely to move due to the high cost. “The estimated moving cost is about RM3 million, which we have to bear on our own. Also, our land will then be abandoned,” he said.
The cost of moving, Chai pointed out, covered the setting up of their own facilities which included construction and material, as well as the construction of in-roads to the given land and transportation.
“We are slowly shrinking our pig farming business now. The cost of moving is too high and we are unable to afford it,” he added. While having to bear the high cost of moving, Chai also noted that the investment returns would be slow and thus “not ideal”. “The first generation pigs cannot be sold and piglets have to be purchased from the ministry but farmers could probably acquire it cheaper outside. The price is being controlled by the authorities,” he explained.
On the size of land given to individual pig farmers, Chai said the land would be apportioned based on productivity which he thought unfair and suggested that a better evaluating system was needed. “For instance, if we have 30 sows (female pigs), a land for that size will be given. So it will be hard if we want to expand,” he continued.
While it is good to have a centralised pig farming area, Chai thinks it would have negative impact on the business, especially sellers having to travel to the outskirts of town to source for it. “Meantime, we will have to wait for meetings to be called where these issues will be highlighted to find the solutions,” he said.
GUARDED: The security guard house at the pig farming area in Pasir Puteh.
IMPRESSIVE: The abattoir (slaughter-house) at the Pig Farming Area in Pasir Puteh.
Modern pig waste treatment system ready in March 2012
Posted on June 30, 2011, Thursday
A MODERN waste treatment system capable of treating waste produced by 35,000 standing pig population in the state will be ready by March next year.“This centralised system is designed to produce zero discharge while the biogas generated can be used to produce electricity,” said Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu in his winding-up speech here yesterday. He was referring to the implementation of integrated pig farming area project in the state. “To address the environmental pollution and to modernise the pig industry, the government has initiated a modern and integrated pig farming area at Pasir Puteh in Simunjan. “A world class standard abattoir compliant with Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point is ready for use,” he said.
According to Jabu, one of the key components of the project was the establishment of an anchor farm to supply high quality breed stocks for the relocated pig farmers, which had been in operation since 2009, and was now producing 6,000 breeders.
He added that pork produced in the pig farming area would cater for both local and export markets.
“Our contact in Singapore has indicated that the country is keen to import our pork and the AgriFood and Veterinary Authority of Singapore will audit the pig farming area when the slaughtering of pigs commences.
“As a pork producer, we have the competitive edge because of our freedom from major diseases,” he said.
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