About 80 family butchers in Kandal province’s Sa’ang district are resisting the requests of local health authorities to concentrate the slaughter of their pigs in five locations as a measure to control the spread of swine flu. Hourng Keabliey, a 47-year-old butcher living in the district’s Village 8, has traditionally slaughtered swine at his home, and said the request was an attempt for the owners of the new slaughterhouses to charge a 7,000-riel (US$1.68)tax on each pig killed. But Kheang Puy, who manages the district’s slaughterhouses, said the money was spent on water and electricity costs. “Vets and health authorities alike have been trying to explain to these butchers the advantages of the policy,” he said. “This is a fair price for them because water and electricity are also a bit expensive here.”