KOTA KINABALU, Oct. 21 -- Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) vice-president David Ong has criticised a proposal to shut down pig farms nationwide and rely on imported pork, saying it could undermine Malaysia's food security, local agriculture and multicultural values.

Ong was responding to a suggestion by Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan, arguing that environmental and public health concerns should be addressed through better farm management, modern technology and stricter environmental standards rather than closing the industry.

He said food security required maintaining domestic production capacity to guard against supply disruptions, price fluctuations and changes in foreign export policies, adding that pig farming also supported farm...