KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 — The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security will work together with relevant authorities to step up border control to address the issue of cheap goat imports from Thailand.

Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said that besides disrupting the local market, the entry of these goats also raises health concerns as they have not undergone monitoring and inspection by the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS).

"Why are goats from Thailand so cheap? One of the reasons is that they are free-roaming goats, meaning we don’t know whether they are diseased or not (because) they enter without undergoing inspection by DVS.

"Therefore, we will ask border enforcement authorities to take action, including conducting more frequent inspections to address this issue,” he said during the Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to a supplementary question from Nurul Amin Hamid (PN-Padang Terap) regarding the government’s measures to address complaints from local farmers about the influx of cheap goats from Thailand, which are currently being sold in the market for RM100 to RM250 each.

Regarding the shortage of paddy seeds in the market, Mohamad said the ministry warned suppliers against hiding the seeds to avoid legal action.

He said several arrests had been made following inspections conducted at 20 locations where paddy seeds were concealed.

"Don’t hide the supply. We will act swiftly through enforcement against those hiding paddy seeds,” he said in reply to a supplementary question from Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (PN-Bukit Gantang).

Mohamad also cautioned suppliers not to exploit the current situation to pressure others in order to achieve specific goals.

Meanwhile, he said that compensation payments to farmers affected by the African Swine Fever outbreak in four states are in the final stage of completion.

He said RM8.1 million has already been disbursed to farmers in Melaka and Perak, while payments totalling RM8.64 million to pig farmers in Johor and Penang are currently being processed. — Bernama