National guidelines not swift in coming

Tuesday July 27, 2010
The Star


PENANG will seek the input from stakeholders once it gets hold of the National Guidelines For Swiftlet Breeding which was passed in Cabinet about two weeks ago.

State Local Government Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the state was given a briefing by National Veterinary Department representatives prior to the passing of the new guidelines but “without much details”.

“Our officer have been requesting for the new guidelines these past two weeks but to date, we have yet to receive a copy.

“During the briefing, we also expressed our dismay that the consultation for the guidelines did not involve any heritage NGOs or World Heritage Office representatives.

“Those consulted were mainly swiftlets’ industry players,” he said when contacted yesterday.

Chow added that the industry players’ main focus is on the monetary side even though they claimed that by turning old houses into a bird house, they are doing heritage protection a service.

“But the bird houses make it a challenge for people to live, at times forcing the neighbours to move, and thus affect the living heritage aspect,” he said.

It was reported that at least 8% out of an estimated 3,500 abandoned pre-war buildings in inner George Town have been restored and rehabilitated by bird nest breeders.

Penang Heritage Trust council member Rebecca Duckett-Wilkinson said the health and safety issues are among the main concerns.

“Imagine the pollution from noise and bird droppings. It is in the state’s hands to make a policy and set a guideline on swiftlet houses.”

Association of Swiftlet Nests Industry president Carole Loh had said that the droppings outside belonged to pigeons, adding that swiftlets are very particular and only release their droppings in the house.

She had also suggested that the state Health Department issue breeders with a health certificate which can be revoked if the cleanliness is not maintained.

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.

PHT: Nay to more time for breeders

Friday December 25, 2009
The Star
By WINNIE YEOH


THE one-year extension given to swiftlet breeders in Penang to continue their operation until next December will jeopardise George Town’s heritage status and its living heritage.

Penang Heritage Trust (PHT) president Khoo Salma Nasution said the state government’s decision to extend the moratorium on the breeders would be a breach of Unesco’s heritage management guidelines as building guidelines and by-laws would be violated.

She explained that a swiftlet breeding house required the gutting of its interior that would destroy the heritage quality.

It was reported recently that the state executive council made the decision in its meeting on Dec 16.

Picture above: file photo of swiftlets returning to roost at dusk in a pre-war building in Penang.

Cultural Heritage Advisory Team educationist Janet Pillai said a research conducted by Universiti Sains Malaysia and PHT showed that there were some 141 swiftlet breeding houses in the heritage core zone.

“These numbers do not include those in the buffer zone,” she said.

“Of the 141, 116 are heritage shophouses, 23 commercial buildings and two of unknown status.

“Only 26 are operating with licences and from October last year to this October, the Penang Municipal Council’s Building Department had issued 30 notices.

“There were eight proposals to demolish the illegal structures but only two were demolished,” she said.

She added that a report complete with statistics would be sent to the state and the National Heritage Department.

Pillai said the breeding houses usually required indoor pools to maintain humidity. This posed a serious dengue threat from mosquitos breeding in the pools while the noise from electrical tweeters was a nuisance.

Also, rodents and vermins thrived in such an environment.

“A harvest from an active bird house could rake in about RM30,000 each time,” she added.

Birds raid Batang Berjuntai

Saturday October 31, 2009
The Star
Story and photos by ELAN PERUMAL


SOME shoplots in Batang Berjuntai town in Kuala Selangor has been turned into homes for swiflets by breeders who seem to be capitalising on every available space for their activity.

Besides turning empty shoplots into swiflet breeding grounds, these breeders have also converted the back portion of shophouses as homes for the birds.


Almost all the shophouses along Jalan Kuala Selangor, which is the main road, have become swiflets breeding grou-nds.

There are several multi-storey buildings with massive extensions at the back where breeders conduct their activity.

Besides the town, the Bestari Jaya business centre has been also conqured by the swiflet breeders.

The breeders have converted the first floor of the vacant two-storey shoplots into breeding grounds. Some have also built an additional floor on the rooftop of the buildings to lure more birds.

A few of these breeders have also put signboards outside the building claiming that they are members of the swiflet breeding association.

Restaurant operator Rosli Sukiman, 45, said the swiflets were causing a lot of inconvenience to the people in the area.

Besides the noise pollution, he said, their droppings were also found all over the place, including on the vehicles that were parked outside the shops.

“Many of the vacant shoplots in the township have been turned into swiflet breeding spots,’’ he said

Another trader, who wished to be remain anonymous, said the presence of the swiflets was not good for the image of the town.

He said more and more business operators were closing their business and moving to other areas due to the situation.

“I hope the authorities will find a way to stop breeders from operating from shophouses,’’ he added.

No short-term gains from swiftlet farming

A reader wrote to The Star


I REFER to the various articles on swiftlet farming as well as letters from the CAP and Dennis Gong “Swiftlets are a real hygenic lot” (The Star, Sept 2).

Being an expert in swiftlet farming, I would like to give a few pointers.
The species Aerodramus fuciphagus do not litter their droppings. Their droppings are only within the birdhouse. Extensive droppings in many towns are not from these swiftlets but from mud swallows that make their nest underneath shophouses.

Indeed, swiftlets are hygienic and do not mix with other birds. The moment they fly out of the bird-house, they will not touch the ground until they return to the bird-house. Swiftlets also prey on harmful insects, like fruit flies etc, and can increase the yield of farmers and reduce the use of pesticides. They are natural pest control agents.

However, in the long term, it is important that swiftlet houses are not located in shop­houses in town centres due to aesthetics and noise pollution. They should be stand-alone units within agricultural areas.

They should also be located about 40km away from airports as they could pose a danger to planes.

Apart from that, swiftlet houses should conform to good farming practices as outlined by the Ministry of Agriculture.

As swiftlet farming is now increasingly seen as a financial gold mine, there are a few pointers potential investors must understand.

One disturbing trend is the development of huge bird-house complexes in one location. These are sold as units to potential buyers on the claim that these bird-houses will be filled with birds within a short time.

It is very unlikely that such huge bird-houses of hundreds of units can be filled within a short time. It will take 10 to 20 years or more for these massive bird-houses to be filled due to the slow natural population growth of the swiftlets in that particular locality.

As such, potential investors should make in-depth studies and consult experts in swiftlet farming before investing as the failure rate is more than 70%. The million ringgit investment may yield zero returns.

Apart from that, there are other quick-get-rich schemes using swiftlet farming as a front for their scam. Swiftlet farming entails a low initial return of one to five years, peaking only in the seventh to 10th year.

As such, it is impossible for the operators to give immediate 3% to 5% returns per month.

NATURE LOVER,
Kuala Lumpur.