S. PARAM,
Ipoh
LATELY, there have been calls by individuals and concerned NGOs on the dangers of allowing swiftlet nesting to thrive without any form of regulations in the midst of human dwellings.
I can understand the fears, concern and frustrations of residents caught in the midst of booming swiftlet nestings in their neirbourhood.
I am sure the authorities have taken note of the problems, especially those that are associated with public health and environmental pollution.
Those unable to face the nuisance of these “illegal settlement” of swiftlets in their neibourhood can use electronic bird repellers to chase away these birds without harming them.
I am not sure whether such gadgets are available locally but they can be purchased in the international open market.
There are several types of bird repelling gadgets in the market.
The one that emits sound waves will automatically broadcast a variety of naturally recorded bird distress signals and predator calls to chase away nesting birds.
There are also bird-repellers that use harmless laser beams to frighten and confuse the birds, causing them to flee from the roosting spots.
Apparently these gadgets are said to be relatively cheap, handy and consumer-safe with inbuilt safety features.
They are fully registered in many countries although I am not sure whether they are allowed in Malaysia.
Some may not like the idea of using such devices for various reasons, including the possible misuse of the gadget.
However if something is not done fast enough, we may end up with a bigger problem later.
In the event of a disease outbreak such as bird flu, some people may use heinous and cruel methods to get rid of these beautiful feathered creatures because they fear that they may spread the disease.
The local authorities should put in place appropriate regulations so that the swiftlet business can continue to thrive freely without becoming a danger and nuisance to the public.
.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Provide guidelines, local authorities urged
LOCAL authorities have been urged to provide standard guidelines for licences to operate swiftlet nest farms in shoplots or commercial areas.
With bird’s nest consumption becoming popular among Malaysians, swiftlet farms are mushrooming, with about 150,000 farms nationwide.
Bird’s nest farming was introduced from Indonesia a few decades ago and this business is now booming. The local government would lose a huge income if licences are not given out.
Swiftlet nest operator Janson Gan, who has been cultivating bird’s nest in Kedah and Tanjung Malim, Perak, for the last seven years said many of these swiftlet nest operators were not aware of the procedures involved in getting the licences from the local governments.
“It is only right for operators to apply for licences to operate at shoplots. It is similar to carrying out renovations to a house,” he said.
“Many of the local authorities do not have any guidelines on this.
“The authorities checking on swiftlets farms must ensure that operators have proper water discharge outlets, that speakers are placed and that food outlets are not located nearby.
“I don’t see any problem in swiftlet farms being located in a shoplot. We are only not supposed to rear these in residential areas as the noise pollution and birds droppings could cause health problems,’’ said Gan.
He added that bird’s nest was divided into two groups — Cave Nest and House Nest.
The Cave Nest is harvested in the cave, especially in Sarawak. As the nests are harvested in the wild they are of better quality and have more nutrients. The processed birds nest can cost RM18,000 to RM20,000 per kg.
The House Nest that is harvested comercially from shoplots and buildings is about RM12,000 to RM13,000 a kg for the processed bird’s nest.
“Because of its popularity, some corporate sectors are conducting roadshows to enlighten swiftlet nest farm operators on how to apply for licences, ensure quality control and manage a farm,” said Gan.
With bird’s nest consumption becoming popular among Malaysians, swiftlet farms are mushrooming, with about 150,000 farms nationwide.
Bird’s nest farming was introduced from Indonesia a few decades ago and this business is now booming. The local government would lose a huge income if licences are not given out.
Swiftlet nest operator Janson Gan, who has been cultivating bird’s nest in Kedah and Tanjung Malim, Perak, for the last seven years said many of these swiftlet nest operators were not aware of the procedures involved in getting the licences from the local governments.
“It is only right for operators to apply for licences to operate at shoplots. It is similar to carrying out renovations to a house,” he said.
“Many of the local authorities do not have any guidelines on this.
“The authorities checking on swiftlets farms must ensure that operators have proper water discharge outlets, that speakers are placed and that food outlets are not located nearby.
“I don’t see any problem in swiftlet farms being located in a shoplot. We are only not supposed to rear these in residential areas as the noise pollution and birds droppings could cause health problems,’’ said Gan.
He added that bird’s nest was divided into two groups — Cave Nest and House Nest.
The Cave Nest is harvested in the cave, especially in Sarawak. As the nests are harvested in the wild they are of better quality and have more nutrients. The processed birds nest can cost RM18,000 to RM20,000 per kg.
The House Nest that is harvested comercially from shoplots and buildings is about RM12,000 to RM13,000 a kg for the processed bird’s nest.
“Because of its popularity, some corporate sectors are conducting roadshows to enlighten swiftlet nest farm operators on how to apply for licences, ensure quality control and manage a farm,” said Gan.
Harvesting the exotic bird’s nest
Stories by STUART MICHAEL
THE collection of the exotic bird’s nest, a traditional Chinese delicacy which could cost anything from RM12,000 a kg onward, is now the rage at the Pusat Bandar Country Homes in Rawang.
StarMetro visited a commercial area at the Pusat Bandar Country Homes in Bandar Country Homes, Rawang, and discovered the many indoor bird’s nest farms operating illegally from three-storey buildings in the area.
Six rows of shoplots in Jalan Pusat BCH 1A, Jalan Pusat BCH 1/3, Jalan Pusat BCH 1/4 and Jalan Pusat BCH 1/4 are vacant as their owners had difficulty renting them out.
Five rows of the empty shoplots have been converted into indoor swiftlet nest farming areas. These bird nest centres are hidden from public view.
Tunnel route: The PVC pipes sticking out of this shoplot are used by the birds to enter and leave the place.
The windows of the buildings are painted black to block the sunlight, and there are no business signboard on them. The bird’s nest farming area is normally located on the second or third floor of these buildings.
Almost all the doors leading to the collection area are padlocked. Several of the buildings even have two padlocked black steel doors each.
All around the buildings are speakers blaring out swiftlet sounds round-the-clock to attract birds to build their nests in the building.
Hollow PVC pipes are installed in the wall as a sort of small tunnel access for the birds to go in and out of the buildings.
Few people have seen the bird’s nest collectors as they usually do their collection late at night.
According to studies, the number of swiftlet farms in the country has grown from 150 in 1997 to more than 30,000 in 2007. However, it is believed that only 30% to 40% of these are successful or viable.
Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) safety and enforcement director Ahmad Faisal Badiuzaman said he was not aware of the council issuing any licence to anyone to operate any indoor bird’s nest farm in Bandar Country Homes.
“As such, all of the bird’s nest farm operators are illegal. The council forbids shop lots or housing areas to be converted into a bird’s nest farming areas and it will take action on the shop owners,” he said.
“We only give licences to the collection of swiftlet nests in an open space like an outdoor farm. Those who want to collect bird’s nest in an open farm can apply for the licences,” he said.
Bandar Country Homes Residents Association president Soong Beng Khoon said turning the shoplots into bird’s nest collection centres was unhygienic.
“There are many eateries in the area, especially at the shoplots.
For the convenience of birds: The windows with black panes are left slightly open to enable the swiftlets to fly in and out.
“If the authorities do not give the licences, they should find a suitable venue for the bird’s nest operators,’’ he said.
THE collection of the exotic bird’s nest, a traditional Chinese delicacy which could cost anything from RM12,000 a kg onward, is now the rage at the Pusat Bandar Country Homes in Rawang.
StarMetro visited a commercial area at the Pusat Bandar Country Homes in Bandar Country Homes, Rawang, and discovered the many indoor bird’s nest farms operating illegally from three-storey buildings in the area.
Six rows of shoplots in Jalan Pusat BCH 1A, Jalan Pusat BCH 1/3, Jalan Pusat BCH 1/4 and Jalan Pusat BCH 1/4 are vacant as their owners had difficulty renting them out.
Five rows of the empty shoplots have been converted into indoor swiftlet nest farming areas. These bird nest centres are hidden from public view.
Tunnel route: The PVC pipes sticking out of this shoplot are used by the birds to enter and leave the place.The windows of the buildings are painted black to block the sunlight, and there are no business signboard on them. The bird’s nest farming area is normally located on the second or third floor of these buildings.
Almost all the doors leading to the collection area are padlocked. Several of the buildings even have two padlocked black steel doors each.
All around the buildings are speakers blaring out swiftlet sounds round-the-clock to attract birds to build their nests in the building.
Hollow PVC pipes are installed in the wall as a sort of small tunnel access for the birds to go in and out of the buildings.
Few people have seen the bird’s nest collectors as they usually do their collection late at night.
According to studies, the number of swiftlet farms in the country has grown from 150 in 1997 to more than 30,000 in 2007. However, it is believed that only 30% to 40% of these are successful or viable.
Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) safety and enforcement director Ahmad Faisal Badiuzaman said he was not aware of the council issuing any licence to anyone to operate any indoor bird’s nest farm in Bandar Country Homes.
“As such, all of the bird’s nest farm operators are illegal. The council forbids shop lots or housing areas to be converted into a bird’s nest farming areas and it will take action on the shop owners,” he said.
“We only give licences to the collection of swiftlet nests in an open space like an outdoor farm. Those who want to collect bird’s nest in an open farm can apply for the licences,” he said.
Bandar Country Homes Residents Association president Soong Beng Khoon said turning the shoplots into bird’s nest collection centres was unhygienic.
“There are many eateries in the area, especially at the shoplots.
For the convenience of birds: The windows with black panes are left slightly open to enable the swiftlets to fly in and out. “If the authorities do not give the licences, they should find a suitable venue for the bird’s nest operators,’’ he said.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Sarawak cracks down on illegal swiftlet breeders
Wednesday February 18, 2009
By JACK WONG
By JACK WONG
KUCHING: Sarawak Forestry Corporation has launched a crackdown on over 1,500 unlicensed swiftlet breeders.
The operations, which started in major towns yesterday, came after the deadline to the breeders to dismantle their illegal operations expired on Dec 31.
Crackdown: An enforcement officer dismantling the lock to one of the shophouses during the operation against illegal swiftlet rearing in Kuching yesterday.
Forestry head of corporate communications Zulkifli Baba Noor said building owners would be asked to produce valid licences for swiftlet farming when enforcement officers check their premises.
“If they fail to produce the licences, the officers will have to remove the sound systems, nests and eggs,” he told The Star.
He said 732 applications for swiftlet farming had been received and the relevant agencies, including Natural Resources and Environment Board, were studying the applications.
There are now only two licensed farms statewide.
An enforcement team, accompanied by police and City South Council health and enforcement
officers, began its operations at a row of four-storey shophouses at Three Hills Park, Jalan Foochow, here. Most of the upper floors of the shophouses have been used for swiftlet farming.
Sarawak Birdnest Imports and Exports Association president Tsai Mui Leong, one of the affected breeders, appealed for a five-year grace period to relocate their operations.
He said many breeders applied three months ago for licences to relocate but had yet to obtain the approvals.
“Give us the licences and we will comply with the various conditions.
“The authorities can come and inspect our operations monthly. This would be a win-win situation,” he told reporters.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Just taking wing but it’s an honest trade
Tuesday February 10, 2009
OH KEAN SHEN,Penang.
I REFFR to the letter “Swiftlet rearing in town a health threat” by Dr T.K. Ho (The Star, Feb 6) and I would like to share my views on this.
Firstly, I like to thank the writer for his concern as a medical expert. I only ask him to study the matter more throroughly before making such remarks. Dengue fever has been around for a while and during that time, the swiftlet industry was not at this magnitude. So why blame it on the swiftlet industry?
Bird’s nest business has existed for centuries. Initially, the nests came from caves but the Indonesians have developed the technology to farm them in houses. In the past, this technology has been secretly guarded by a small number of people.
The business is now growing and contributing to 0.5% of Indonesia’s economy. The technology has spread to more people today.
According to Jabatan Haiwan and Jabatan Perhilitan, the chances of swiftlets (edible nest type or EBN) of contracting and spreading bird flu is minimal because EBN swiftlets are non-migratory and they do not share flying or roosting space with other birds. Swiftlets do not have the same food and water sources as other birds.
The writer is correct in saying that one of the ways of controlling the correct temperature and humidity in the farm is to have stagnant ponds. But this has been replaced by humidifiers which do not allow the breeding of aedes mosquitoes.
We should not kill an industry or business just because of a stagnant pond. We must be innovative and find new methods to solve the problem and not destroy a whole business.
We are keen to work closely with anyone who is able to contribute towards the future of the swiftlet business. We even take Dr Ho’s comment with a positive note.
The business is not a time bomb for a serious epidemic outbreak. It is a business conducted by people who have put in a lot of their hard-earned monies to try and build up an honest business.
The business is new and there is much work to be done to make it professional but it is an honest one. We agree that there should be rules and regulations to guide and manage the business and such regulations must be drawn up with the help of people who are in the know and also those who are in this business.
OH KEAN SHEN,Penang.
I REFFR to the letter “Swiftlet rearing in town a health threat” by Dr T.K. Ho (The Star, Feb 6) and I would like to share my views on this.
Firstly, I like to thank the writer for his concern as a medical expert. I only ask him to study the matter more throroughly before making such remarks. Dengue fever has been around for a while and during that time, the swiftlet industry was not at this magnitude. So why blame it on the swiftlet industry?
Bird’s nest business has existed for centuries. Initially, the nests came from caves but the Indonesians have developed the technology to farm them in houses. In the past, this technology has been secretly guarded by a small number of people.
The business is now growing and contributing to 0.5% of Indonesia’s economy. The technology has spread to more people today.
According to Jabatan Haiwan and Jabatan Perhilitan, the chances of swiftlets (edible nest type or EBN) of contracting and spreading bird flu is minimal because EBN swiftlets are non-migratory and they do not share flying or roosting space with other birds. Swiftlets do not have the same food and water sources as other birds.
The writer is correct in saying that one of the ways of controlling the correct temperature and humidity in the farm is to have stagnant ponds. But this has been replaced by humidifiers which do not allow the breeding of aedes mosquitoes.
We should not kill an industry or business just because of a stagnant pond. We must be innovative and find new methods to solve the problem and not destroy a whole business.
We are keen to work closely with anyone who is able to contribute towards the future of the swiftlet business. We even take Dr Ho’s comment with a positive note.
The business is not a time bomb for a serious epidemic outbreak. It is a business conducted by people who have put in a lot of their hard-earned monies to try and build up an honest business.
The business is new and there is much work to be done to make it professional but it is an honest one. We agree that there should be rules and regulations to guide and manage the business and such regulations must be drawn up with the help of people who are in the know and also those who are in this business.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Swiftlet rearing in town a health threat
Friday February 6, 2009
DR T K HO, London.
I READ with keen interest the article “Ministry must be firm in dengue fight” (The Star, Feb 1).
As most of us know, dengue fever is an acute illness of sudden onset that usually follows a benign course with headache, fever, exhaustion, severe joint and muscle pains, lymphadenopathy (swollen glands), and rashes.
The presence of fever, rashes and headache (and other pains), i.e. the “dengue triad”, is particularly characteristic of dengue. The more severe form of dengue, dengue haemorrhagic fever, can present as headache, fever, rashes, and evidence of haemorrhage or bleeding in the body.
Petechiae (small red or purple blisters under the skin), bleeding in the nose or gums, black stools, or easy bruising are all possible signs of haemorrhage. This form of dengue fever can be life-threatening or even fatal.
The Health Ministry should definitely be firm and take actions ranging from primary health care to tertiary health care. I also wish to add that the general public themselves need to take measures to prevent the breeding of the aedes mosquitos.
No matter how much effort the Ministry puts in to combat the disease, the result will likely be unsatisfactory if the public continue to be apathetic towards the fight against dengue.
I wish to highlight a very good example which I hope the authorities will take note of and do the necessary.
On my recent visit to Sitiawan and Pantai Remis in Manjung district, Perak, I noticed the widespread practice of converting shophouses into breeding grounds for swiftlets in order to collect “birds’ nest”, an expensive delicacy.
These shophouses are located in a densely populated area in the town centre. In order to attract birds into these converted shophouses to build nests, the shophouses are left unoccupied and the owners place clean water which can be left stagnant for days. Obviously, the water left in the shophouses provide the ideal breeding environment for aedes mosquitoes.
In addition, the birds can also carry infectious diseases such as meningitis from their droppings, not to mention the risk of bird flu. It seems that the owners of these shophouses are willing to jeopardise the health of their neighbours and the public for monetary gain.
These converted shophouses are health hazards and are a time bomb for a serious epidemic outbreak.
DR T K HO, London.
I READ with keen interest the article “Ministry must be firm in dengue fight” (The Star, Feb 1).
As most of us know, dengue fever is an acute illness of sudden onset that usually follows a benign course with headache, fever, exhaustion, severe joint and muscle pains, lymphadenopathy (swollen glands), and rashes.
The presence of fever, rashes and headache (and other pains), i.e. the “dengue triad”, is particularly characteristic of dengue. The more severe form of dengue, dengue haemorrhagic fever, can present as headache, fever, rashes, and evidence of haemorrhage or bleeding in the body.
Petechiae (small red or purple blisters under the skin), bleeding in the nose or gums, black stools, or easy bruising are all possible signs of haemorrhage. This form of dengue fever can be life-threatening or even fatal.
The Health Ministry should definitely be firm and take actions ranging from primary health care to tertiary health care. I also wish to add that the general public themselves need to take measures to prevent the breeding of the aedes mosquitos.
No matter how much effort the Ministry puts in to combat the disease, the result will likely be unsatisfactory if the public continue to be apathetic towards the fight against dengue.
I wish to highlight a very good example which I hope the authorities will take note of and do the necessary.
On my recent visit to Sitiawan and Pantai Remis in Manjung district, Perak, I noticed the widespread practice of converting shophouses into breeding grounds for swiftlets in order to collect “birds’ nest”, an expensive delicacy.
These shophouses are located in a densely populated area in the town centre. In order to attract birds into these converted shophouses to build nests, the shophouses are left unoccupied and the owners place clean water which can be left stagnant for days. Obviously, the water left in the shophouses provide the ideal breeding environment for aedes mosquitoes.
In addition, the birds can also carry infectious diseases such as meningitis from their droppings, not to mention the risk of bird flu. It seems that the owners of these shophouses are willing to jeopardise the health of their neighbours and the public for monetary gain.
These converted shophouses are health hazards and are a time bomb for a serious epidemic outbreak.
Friday, January 30, 2009
License Extension
Friday January 30, 2009
The Star
Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) president Farizan Darus said the state government had agreed to extend the temporary licences for swiftlet breeders operating in residential premises in the state by another year after the expiry of the licences on Dec 31 last year.
He advised the 499 breeders to apply for the extension, adding that the state government had also frozen the issuance of new licences for swiftlet breeders.
The Star
Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) president Farizan Darus said the state government had agreed to extend the temporary licences for swiftlet breeders operating in residential premises in the state by another year after the expiry of the licences on Dec 31 last year.
He advised the 499 breeders to apply for the extension, adding that the state government had also frozen the issuance of new licences for swiftlet breeders.
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