I graduated in
1974, at a time when Singapore had small pig farms
in Changi, Sembawang, Lim Chu Kang, Chua Chu Kang
and Yio Chu Kang and worked for around 7.5 years in
the Primary Production Department (PPD). One of my
postings was as a veterinary extension officer of
the PPD (now called Agri-Food and Veterinary
Authority, AVA). I had an 8-year bond with the
PPD and I knew I had no chance to practise small
animal medicine and surgery. I believe almost all
vets dream of practising small animal medicine and
surgery when they enter veterinary school but many
of the PPD vets are frustrated as their 8-year-bond
with the PPD binds them to food producing animal
practice.
The PPD had a small animal clinic at Kampong Java
Road called The Animal Infirmary. The site is now
occupied by the Kandang Kerbau Hospital. Initially,
it had one lady veterinarian and then another lady
who decided to be a Citibanker. Later, it had two
male vets who worked a while and started their
private practice.
The priority of the PPD in the 1970s and now is food
animals, not dogs and cats. Veterinarians were sent
overseas to come home to serve the 8-year bond with
the PPD doing the practice of pigs and chickens.
There were around two private veterinary clinics
treating dogs and cats in the early 1970s as
contrasted to over 45 clinics in 2011.
As a 20-year-old vet with no hope of paying off my
$40,000 bond, I immersed myself in the practice of
avian and porcine veterinary medicine. I was paid
around $1,000 per month. 7 years of avian and
porcine veterinary medicine was an eye opener for a
young graduate. Not much surgery. Mainly medicine.
I went to visit pig farms in Hainan in 2008 because
a self-employed Singaporeans who is good at
marketing real estate asked me to visit his client's
pig farms. "AVA is importing pork from China and we
can be the sole exclusive marketing agent for my
Hainanese business man who has just started 3 pig
farms and is expanding. This is a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity for us to supply the AVA pork! My client
is looking for an investor."
 I
had never been to Hainan before and if you ask me to
go shopping and sight-seeing in Hainan, I don't want
to do it. But a pig farm visit interested me very
much. I resigned from the PPD around 26 years ago
and a pig farm visit interested me a lot. Are there
new developments in porcine veterinary medicine that
I can apply to small animal medicine and surgery?
A chance to see the real Hainan, not the touristy
spots. To see the rural areas and the way of life of
the ordinary people in villages. To experience, know
and understand another country by travelling far
away from the shopping malls. So, I took leave to
tour the 3 big Hainanese pig farms.
I asked a Singapore city girl to come along. "See
Hainan, the Florida of China. Sunshine State of the
East," I said.
At the airport, our taxi had a squirrel inside. The
poor creature was trying to get out of the moving
taxi but could not know how. Hopped to the back,
scampered on the floor and back to the front and
back. Julia seemed worried that the squirrel might
bite her legs. "The squirrel will not bite you," I
advised. Finally, it managed to hop out of the
window and onto the roof of the taxi.
It is not a good idea for this Singapore girl to
visit the pig farms. The stench of the pig
environment was over-powering. She avoided the
open-air latrine in the pig farm as it was a pit in
the ground. My marketing friend was immune to all
the smells of pig poo and pee. I am OK with the
smells of the pig farms and the countryside.
Nowadays, there are no real pig farms in Singapore
and so the following pictures may be of interest to
the young Singaporeans. Some young ones say that
pork comes from supermarkets, but the real source is
the pig farms overseas. |
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 1189.
The oldest taxi in Haikou, Hainan with black
curtains on railings in the 4 windows. |
1190.
A squirrel inside my Haikou taxi makes my Singapore
lady friend nervous. |
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|
1191.
Street vendors along downtown. No steps on the side
of the overhead bridge (so bicycles can be used). |
1192.
Street vendors along downtown. No steps on the side
of the overhead bridge (so bicycles can be used). |
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1193.
Mild weather and sunshine in Hainan in March 2008,
making it the Florida of China. A father takes his
son home from school. |
1194.
A beautiful farm land in rural Haikou, Hainan, China
now more existing in Singapore. |
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|
1195.
Gilts are young female pigs. A modern pig farm
in Hainan/ |
1196.
Boars |
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1197.
Artificial insemination - 2 methods - manual and the
blue catheter (right) which releases semen after
insertion. |
1198.
Meal diet and vitamin supplementation. Farm has own
feed processing. |
1199.
Around 115 days to give birth. The breed of pigs
appears to be similar to the ones I saw some 20
years ago at Ponggol's big pig farms! |
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|
1200.
Piglets take 3-4 weeks to be weaned. Water bowl in
front of stall. |
1201.
Good-sized piglets. Uniform size and weight
indicates excellent management |
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1202.
Temperature control of the pen is important for weaners as they chill easily. |
1203.
Some boars will be for sale. Tail biting is still a
problem in intensive pig production! |
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|
1204.
Daily washing of pens and pigs is important. Gilts
(young females) kept together and ear-tagged.
|
1205.
Growing and finishing pigs. |
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1206.
Finishing pigs. Barrows (neutered males) in a pen.
|
1207.
Hogs are pigs near market weight. |
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As for being the
sole exclusive marketing agent for Hainanese pork,
the AVA does not approve import of pork from Hainan.
My marketer friend finds it more lucrative to sell
Singapore condos to his foreigner contacts. His
pig-farmer client entrusts him with bigger deals in
oil. No small selling of one condo. He has an
extensive network and closes an oil deal for his
client recently.
In any case, the demand for pork is insatiable in
China. Why export to Singapore when home demand
cannot be met? I am not keen to be a pork importer
in any case as it is not my cup of tea.
|
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1208.
Pig waste goes to the 2 tanks. |
Back to the mundane Singapore's urban life. All pig
farms and some chicken farms must be banned due to
the public complaints of smelly air in the
neighbourhood. The picture (left) show the AVA
promoting frozen pork said to be around 50% cheaper than
chilled pork which is traditionally bought by
Singaporeans.
Dr Sing's Travel Stories |
