BANDUNG, Indonesia – The provincial government of West Java is considering new regulations that would ban pig farming, local media reported Tuesday (August 14th).

West Java Husbandry Agency head Koesmayadi Tatang Padmadinata said the proposed ban is related to potential environmental pollution, since most pig farms in the region are located in mountainous areas, and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) is concerned about pig filth contaminating the water supply.

Pork consumption is low in the Muslim-majority province of 45 million – just 87 tonnes annually – compared to poultry (245,743 tonnes) and beef (80,699), The Jakarta Post reported. Koesmayadi suggested pork could be brought in from Central Java for those who consume it.

The Riau Islands province will also curb pig and poultry farms on Batam Island, just south of Singapore, where 349 families raising pigs have been warned to shut down by October or see their animals destroyed, according to The Post.

"We hope the closure will not be turned into an ethnic or religious issue. The closure is purely on the grounds of the environment and zoning," Batam Maritime, Fisheries, Agriculture and Forestry Agency head Suhartini told The Post.