By New Straits Times - February 14, 2020 @ 4:31pm

KUCHING: The Veterinary Services Department has a new strategy to administer anti rabies vaccine to stray dogs. Its director-general Datuk Dr Quaza Nizamuddin Hassan Nizar said it would feed them baits laced with the vaccine. He said this during a courtesy call on Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah at the latter's office, here, today.

"This is what we plan to do especially in areas with many stray dogs and areas that are hard to access. We will use it alongside existing strategies in the ongoing anti rabies operation. We are already in the process of buying these vaccine baits and will study the impact of using this method on the dog immunisation process,” he said.

He lauded Sarawak for doing a good job in addressing its rabies outbreak, adding his department would continue to support the state to tackle the rabies outbreak.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah presented a memento to Veterinary Services Director-General Datuk Dr Quaza Nizamuddin Hassan Nizar (left) who paid a courtesy call to the former's office at Wisma Bapa. -Pix courtesy of DCM office

On boosting the state’s cattle pronunciation, Dr Quaza Nizamuddin described what Sarawak had done as "a step in the right direction and the way to move forward".

“Malaysia is expected to face a serious issue in beef production by 2035. We need to have at least 200,000 heads each year for the next five years to arrest the decline. This should be made a national priority," he stressed.

Currently, he said, Malaysia could only produce 50,000 cattle, but is importing 150,000 metric tons of beef annually.

"Hence, my department has proposed three models, especially to the big oil palm companies," he said.

The proposals include setting aside a certain portion of their land as cattle raising areas and to do the breeding themselves; collaboration with those already having the expertise and to rent out land to breeders who can breed in more systematic manners, which will be supervised by the department.

 "We are looking at offering them rebate, tax incentive and others to motivate them," he said, adding there were a total of 5.9 million hectares of oil palm nationwide, out of which two million hectares are in Sarawak.