The announcement by the government that it will revive the pig farming industry in Bukit Pelanduk is "misleading", resulting in some pig-rearers living there as claiming the politicians were treating them as "idiots".

"We are unclear if the pig-farming area mentioned by Agriculture Minister Effendi Norwawi is the original location or the new integrated pig farming area (IPFA) in Bukit Pelanduk," said Lay Yong Tee, a pig farmer who is also the Nipah Virus Committee chairman.

"We're happy (then) because we thought the government had allowed us to return to the original site," he said.

Last Saturday, The Star reported that the affected residents and associations welcomed the government's decision to revive the pig industry in Bukit Pelanduk, describing it as a long-awaited moment.

Another pig farmer, Lai Poh Chon, said the government did not make a clear statement but a general one.

"There was no time for clarification. People were so happy because they thought they could go back to their own farm," he said.

However, Lai told malaysiakini today that the pig-farmers were being treated like "a bunch of idiots" by politicians.

"They (the politicians) know we are not educated. But, deep inside we feel we are being taken advantage of. We feel it, I tell you," he said.

Before the polling for the Teluk Kemang by-election last Saturday, Effendi said that the government had made a decision "to revive the pig-farming industry in Bukit Pelanduk".

However, Berita Harian yesterday carried a report that the ban on pig-farming in (the original site of) Bukit Pelanduk remains.

When contacted by malaysiakini , Yeow Chai Thiam, Negri Sembilan's exco for housing and local government, said that there have been a "misunderstanding" when the media reported that the government "had decided to revive the pig-farming industry in Bukit Pelanduk".

"To rear pig in-situ is impossible," said the state assemblyman for Lukut constituency, an area which was badly hit by the Nipah virus outbreak early last year.

He added that he has always maintained that the pig farmers will not be allowed to return to their original farm location.

Yeow said that the original area in Bukit Pelanduk was "degazetted" for pig farming after the Nipah outbreak.

Lay conceded that Yeow always made it clear that the pig-farmers cannot go back to their original farming location.

Yeow denied that the government retracted its decision to revive the pig farming industry in Bukit Pelanduk after Barisan Nasional's poor performance, especially in Lukut, during last week's by-election when malaysiakini queried him whether the government is taking "revenge" on the pig-farmers.

"This is what rumour-mongers would say," Yeow said.

"There's nothing to take revenge. We've won," he said, lamenting that he was just a little upset that the pig-farmers were "unappreciative" of what the government had done.

Before the Teluk Kemang's by-election, 468 pig-farmers was compensated with an additional RM70 per pig culled (for the first 2,000 pigs) during the Nipah outbreak last year after the appeal from the pig farmers.

According to Health Minister Chua Jui Ming, some RM 31 million were given to the pig farmers. ("[#1] By-election campaign 'racially motivated', says MB[/#] ", May 30)

The original location for pig-farming in Bukit Pelanduk was gazetted in 1982 as a pig-farming area. After the Nipah outbreak last year, the pig-farming industry in Bukit Pelanduk which was the biggest in Southeast Asia was degazetted by the government.

As an alternative, an integrated pig-farming was constructed in a new area in Bukit Pelanduk. The development of the new area was privatised to a company called Nikmat Maju. However, many pig farmers were reluctant to move into the new area.

"They (the pig farmers) don't have the money," according to Lay, who also heads the Malaysian Swine Farmer Koperasi Society, adding that it is too expensive to start pig farming in the new IPFA.

He said that one lot of pig-farming area (of two acres) cost around RM330,000, the new pig barns will cost RM280,000 and the livestocks will cost another RM280,000.

He explained that, according to the agreement (for those who move into the new area) one lot of pig farm can only have a maximum of 1,400 pigs.

"The cost will come up to almost RM1 million (to restart in the new area)," Lay said.

"However, since pig farmers can only produce 10 percent (or 140) of their livestocks for sales every month, they cannot make a profit as the cost is too high," he added.

Lay added that although the government had given the compensation to the pig farmers, it was not enough to cover their debts.

He said that it is not easy for the pig farmers to change job as most of them are not educated and their average age is about 45.

According to Lay, most pig farmers will be happier if the original site (for pig farming in Bukit Pelanduk) can be revived, adding that RM200 million spent on the pig barns and existing farming infrastructures within the area will not be wasted.