IMPORTED frozen pork, once shunned by the non-halal food industry as “not fresh” and “not as tasty” has seen a huge jump in demand in recent weeks, stakeholders said.

They said the industry was scrambling for cheaper alternatives after local pig farms suffered a double-whammy by costlier animal feed and the spread of the African swine fever which causes high mortality rates in pigs.

Expensive imported feed and the viral disease pushed the prices of locally produced pork up tenfold in the space of a year, industry players claimed.

Butchers Association of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur official Ang Ban Lee said two years ago, only 10% of local restaurants or cooked food sellers used frozen pork.

That number, he told The Malaysian Insight, had jumped to 40% now.

Ang said it’s not difficult to see why.

He said locally produced pork belly now is RM40 per kg while the imported ones are only RM18-19 per kg.

He also said because of the huge difference in price, about 80% of food stall proprietors are using imported meat to make barbecued pork.

“Although there is some difference in quality, the huge price difference makes it sensible to use imported pork.”

The majority of imported pork are from Germany and Spain.

“I’ve never used imported pork before,” roast pork seller and wholesale supplier Hung Wan Lee told The Malaysian Insight.

“But my regular customers have been telling me to look for cheaper meat. So I started looking for sources and have now begun supplying them.”

Hung said soon word spread that there were cheaper alternatives available and more and more delis have switched to selling imported pork.

Lee Peng Hock, chairman of the Butchers Association of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, however, does not believe imported pork will replace locally produced pork.

He said the imports were merely a stop-gap measure to meet demands amid the shortage.

Lee said if the supply of fresh pork returns to normal, consumers would switch back to local meat as butchers can cater to customers’ varied preferences.

He said it is unlike imported pork that comes in a standard cut.

He added that the shortage on pork, eggs and chicken in the country puts a question mark on the country’s agricultural policy.

He said the agri-food industry policy should be reviewed.

He suggested allowing local manufacturing of animal feed as farmers cannot be dependent on imports.

“They will face problems if supply gets disrupted.”

Lee said on top of that, the short supply of pork was also due to the many restrictions placed on the pig-rearing industry.

That, he said, led to fewer and fewer people venture into the industry.

“Licences are difficult to get. Applicants have to meet numerous requirements, and even if they do, there’s no guarantee their application will get approved.”

Another problem faced by the industry is the inter-state transportation of live pigs.

On January 30, the Perak government banned the transportation of live pigs to slaughterhouses in Selangor.

The ban caused a pork shortage in Selangor, forcing many small-time pork-based food vendors out of business.

Lee, in a press conference on February 8, claimed the ban had reduced the supply of pork in Selangor by 80%.

Seremban, he said, too, needed 3,000 pigs daily and 80% of the supply came from Perak pig farms.

He said only Penang and Perak do not experience a shortage in the supply of pork. States such as Selangor, Malacca and Johor are experiencing a serious shortage.

Agriculture and Food Security Deputy Minister Tan Hong Ling earlier said the inter-state transportation ban will be lifted this week. – February 15, 2023.