Swiftlet farming ban draws flak

Saturday April 10, 2010
The Star
By MUGUNTAN VANAR
newsdesk@thestar.com.my


KOTA KINABALU: A state Cabinet’s decision to ban swiftlet farming in major urban areas is drawing flak among entrepreneurs of the lucrative birds’ nest business.

Swiftlet farmers are arguing that health and environmental issues should not be the basis of the ban as tests and studies had shown that those birds were not carriers of diseases.

In fact, Sabah Swiftlet House and Birds’ Nest Industry president George Ng said the large presence of pigeons in popular Gaya Street was dirtier than birds found in organised swiftlet farms.

He said major cities like Ipoh and Johor Baru had not stopped such activities.

Thus, he said, there was no reason for the state to ban the industry in major towns like Sandakan, Tawau and the city here.

Ng wondered why the state decided to place a ban as the industry was still awaiting the federal government’s guidelines on swiftlet farming practices.

The state government announced the ban several days ago. State Resource Development and Information Technology Minister Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai explained that the decision to ban birds’ nest farming in the three towns was partly because it was a public nuisance.

Meanwhile, Sabah Progressive Party questioned the alleged double standards of Kota Kinabalu City Hall for not acting against two birds’ nest farms in the Gaya Street area despite numerous complaints.

SAPP spokesman David Chong said City Hall had shut down similar farms in the Inanam area but refused to act against these two farms in the central business district here.

“The state Cabinet’s decision to ban swiftlet farming should be adhered to strictly,” he added.