Pig traders caught skirting the system, trading rights
THE Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has suspended two pigimporting companies which violated their contracts by transferring their trading rights to other companies.
The two suspended companies are Chanthou Mean Chey Import Export and 3-TH Agri Development.
“They repeatedly violated their contracts and were not deterred by the fines imposed on them,” ministry spokesperson Srey Vuthy said.
Vuthy said they transferred their importing rights to other entities and imported more pigs than allowed by their contract.
President of the Cambodia Pig Supply Association Sann Chan Thet told The Post on Monday that after receiving complaints about the two companies, the association investigated and discovered that they had illegally transferred their rights to a trader.
“According to ministry guidelines, companies which have attained rights to import live pigs from neighbouring countries are not allowed to transfer those rights to others.
“This case makes some members of our association worried because they think that the trader is harbouring the ambition to import live pigs from Thailand exclusively,” he said.
Chan Thet further said the association had supported the ministry’s move against the two offending companies.
“Our association found evidence that 3-TH Agri Development transferred its right to import 250 live pigs from Thailand to a trader named Loem Sophal. So, the ministry should take legal action against this company,” he said.
Sophal wrote a letter on Sunday acknowledging that he had imported 550 live pigs from Thailand.
He said 250 of the pigs were imported through rights obtained by 3-TH Agri Development while the remaining 300 pigs t hrough t he rights of Chanthou Meanchey Import Export.
Sophal denied wanting to have exclusive rights to importing pigs from neighbouring countries.
“The ministry will continue checking it and take legal action,” Vuthy said, adding that seven companies are permitted to import live pigs from neighbouring countries to supply the domestic market.
The ministry recently decided to reduce pig imports by 70 per cent from all legal companies and advised them to not sell their rights to other companies to avoid contagious diseases.
If the two companies continue selling their rights, the ministry will take further legal action against them, Vuthy said.