BUTTERWORTH – The Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department (Maqis) Penang has seized 9,180kg of pork products from China worth RM453,600.
State Maqis director Muhammad Ikram Abd Talib said the seizure was made on a container at the North Butterworth container terminal on Monday.
“The results of the inspection carried out by our officers found that 1,125 boxes of canned pork products were imported without a Maqis import permit.
"The act of importing pork products without a valid import permit is an offence under Section 11(1) of the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Act 2011 (Act 728), which is punishable under Section 11(3) of the same act,” he said in a statement today.
Ikram said if convicted the importer could be fined not more than RM100,000 or imprisoned for a period not exceeding six years, or both.
He added that enforcement action must be taken to prevent the risk of entry of the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus into the country, which could affect the Malaysian pig-farming industry.
“Among the products that are at risk of ASF virus transmission are smoked pork, pork sausages, canned pork products and the like.”
The spread of ASF cases in the country was detected in the middle of last year, when 100 wild pigs were found dead in Sabah’s forest reserves.
It then spread to several areas in Sabah, involving the districts of Pitas, Beluran, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Kota Marudu, Sandakan, Telupid and Tongod.
Recently, the ASF outbreak has begun spreading in several states including Sarawak, Melaka and Negri Sembilan. – The Vibes, April 27, 2022
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