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11th June, 2009
PAPAR: Two livestock farms here risk losing their land to the government for breaching provisions on usage stated in the land titles.
One is Full Jee Farm Sdn Bhd which is a pig farm in Kg Purak, and the other a poultry farm in Kg Padawan, Standard Farm Sdn Bhd.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Yahya Hussin who is also the Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry said many people residing in the area have complained about the farms.
In September last year, Papar District Officer, Iman Ali, issued a notice to both farms warning them that the government would revoke the land as they had failed to observe conditions of usage stipulated in the land titles.
However, both companies have filed an appeal against the decision with the Land and Survey Department.
“The result of the appeal will be known soon. If the decision is not in favour of the operators, then they can appeal to the High Court,” said Yahya after visiting the farms yesterday.
Both farms had applied to amend the conditions of usage in the land titles previously but the application was rejected by the authorities.
Yahya personally informed the farm operators of his findings.
Based on his own observation, he said it was clear that the two farms failed to properly dispose animal waste despite having been warned earlier not to discard the waste directly into the river and drains.
“They failed to take heed of the warning and now the local people residing near the farms have complained about the terrible stench. They are very angry and I can understand their predicament,” he said.
Meanwhile, the draft for the “Control of Livestock Activities (Poultry) Rules” is expected to be completed before the end of this year.
Yahya said that if the draft is gazetted before the end of this year, licensing for poultry farms will be enforced by early 2010.
Pig farms in the state have also been ordered to apply for the license to operate before July 1, 2009.
“Warning letters will be issued to farms that fail to submit their application before the deadline,” he said.
Pig farms that fail to get the license due to non-compliance of the minimum pre-requisite under the Good Animal Husbandry Practices (GAHP) can negotiate the matter within 24 months from July 1, 2009.
“If the farms still fail to get the license within that period, they will be ordered to close down by July 31, 2011,” Yahya said.
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