Shipping pork products to Malaysia

[Nepal4me]

I am wondering if I can send frozen pork products to Malaysia.

 

Are their restrictions given that it's a Muslim country?

 

Appreciate and help here.

[grollies]

I'd say you've got as much chance shipping pork to Saudi but, good luck.

[NanLaew]

Huge pork industry in Malaysia; 96% self sufficiency too with the remainder for export. Note that Malaysian pork was banned for 10 years from Singapore due to a Nipah virus outbreak, This ban was lifted about 2 years ago.

Pork imports declined significantly from 2011 to 2012 due to a change in import requirements. In June 2011, the Ministry of Agriculture notified exporting countries that pork imports were no longer allowed pending audits of each plant wishing to export to Malaysia. As a result, imports were halted for several months as countries’ scheduled audits for those plants interested in exporting. Currently, the following countries have slaughter facilities eligible to export: Australia (7 plants), Belgium (7), Canada (5), China (3), Germany (13), Portugal (1), Spain (10), Thailand (2), Vietnam (2).Marketing:Like production, pork distribution and marketing is rigorously segregated in Malaysia. Processing, packaging, and transporting pork is kept strictly separate from other food channels. Similarly, storage and handling facilities are isolated. Generally, companies that market pork, do not handle any other food or meat products, at least not on the same premises.Because of the limitations on imports described above, only a few companies handle imports.

[bendejo]

I was in Penang.  One day while walking past the wet market 2 blocks away from the huge Kapitan Keling mosque imagine my surprise to see a whole load of cleaned but not yet butchered pigs hanging from meathooks.  My guess was no Muslim would even walk down that street.

 

The Malaysian pork business is a (ethnic) Chinese enterprise.  Generally speaking, I've found the Malaysian Chinese can be quite genial when it comes to conversing with foreigners (provided they speak a common language, of course), so if you manage to strike up a conversation in a cafe don't be afraid to bring up the topic of pork.  I would hazard a guess that the pork cartel would be more concerned about banning imports (aka protectionism) than would PAS (the Muslim fundamentalist political party).

 

 

[Nepal4me]

14 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Huge pork industry in Malaysia; 96% self sufficiency too with the remainder for export. Note that Malaysian pork was banned for 10 years from Singapore due to a Nipah virus outbreak, This ban was lifted about 2 years ago.

Pork imports declined significantly from 2011 to 2012 due to a change in import requirements. In June 2011, the Ministry of Agriculture notified exporting countries that pork imports were no longer allowed pending audits of each plant wishing to export to Malaysia. 

Thanks for that info.  Do you think there would be any issue if I just packed 2 kilos of frozen ham packed in a small foam box with dry ice.... or perhaps without dry ice?  My friends there would pick it up from the airport on the Malay side.

[georgemandm]

23 hours ago, grollies said:

I'd say you've got as much chance shipping pork to Saudi but, good luck.

 

[scorecard]

7 hours ago, Nepal4me said:

Thanks for that info.  Do you think there would be any issue if I just packed 2 kilos of frozen ham packed in a small foam box with dry ice.... or perhaps without dry ice?  My friends there would pick it up from the airport on the Malay side.

 

But is it legal to import meat products into Malaysia without certain certificates?

 

Or perhaps it's banned totally in terms of small time citizen activities. Taking any form of raw or processed meat products in Australia and many other countries (even tiny amounts) is totally banned and subject to severe penalties.

 

But perhaps it's allowed into some countries in bulk but with individual pre-agreed checks by the incoming customs folks? But that also perhaps depends on the country of origin.

 

 

 

[Oxx]

13 minutes ago, scorecard said:

But is it legal to import meat products into Malaysia without certain certificates?

 

It is not legal.  To quote:

 

"The importations of goods specified below are prohibited except under an import licence or permit from relevant authorities:

"- Any meat, bones, hide, skin, hoofs, horns, offal or any part of the animals and Poultry."

 

http://www.customs.gov.my/en/tp/pages/tp_ie.aspx