The Star Malaysia

Farmers hope for light haze

Bad air affects livestock’s health and productivi­ty, says associatio­n

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PETALING JAYA: Livestock farmers are looking to the skies and keeping their fingers crossed the haze condition will be mild this year.

Federation of Livestock Farmers’ Associatio­n of Malaysia president Jeffrey Ng said the situation so far wasn’t bad and its members were hopeful.

Their business would be affected if the haze became as thick as in previous years and caused warmer and drier weather, he said.

He said chickens would lay less eggs while poultry and livestock would take longer to reach market weight due to heat and water shortages.

“Some farmers are preparing by making sure they have an adequate water supply,” he added.

Federation of Pork Dealers Associatio­n president Chan Nyen Loong said the extreme haze conditions in 2014 and last year affected breeding and mating.

“Production went down and our costs went up because we had to buy medicine for the sick animals,” he said.

Like human, animals also get affected by the haze, said Malaysian Federation of Ruminant Breeders Associatio­n chairman Samad Kassim.

“Cows, goats and buffaloes have trouble breathing if conditions are really bad. They can even die from it,” he said.

At the very least, milk production in the cows and goats drops, he added.

Marine Fish Farmers Associatio­n deputy president Mohamed Razali Mohamed said the haze has no direct impact on fish stocks.

But the resulting poor visibility and air quality makes life miserable for the 20,000 workers nationwide in the RM1.2bil industry.

“Haze is much worse at sea level and productivi­ty is affected when workers fall ill,” he said.

Malaysia exports 62,000 tonnes of fish to Singapore, Hong Kong and China annually.

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 ??  ?? Smoggy air: O ce workers wearing masks while walking along Jalan Ampang in Kuala Lumpur at noon yest a .
Smoggy air: O ce workers wearing masks while walking along Jalan Ampang in Kuala Lumpur at noon yest a .

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