Booming industry or health hazard?

NST
2009/08/23


Thousands of bird 'motels' have opened across Malaysia to lure the swiftlets whose nests are harvested to make bird's nest soup, a costly delicacy in Chinese cuisine, writes M. JEGATHESAN

IN the heart of Klang, the owner of the Goldcourse Hotel has converted part of the multi-storey building into a swiftlet "motel".

To entice the swiflets to build their nests in the concrete structure -- and not their natural cave habitat -- a soundtrack of shrill bird noises, including mating calls, is blasted from speakers from dawn to dusk.

Nearby, other entrepreneurs have opened competing ventures by turning four-storey shophouses into bird havens, and the cacophony and shower of bird droppings is alienating those living and working nearby.




"The sound is so loud and irritating, and the bird droppings can be harmful to our health," said local resident Abdul Hamid Abdullah as he watched the swiflets dart in and out of the buildings.

"These birds build their nests in caves. That is where they should be."

Malaysia's swiftlet industry began in the 1980s but gained momentum after the 1997 Asian financial crisis when entrepreneurs converted the interiors of abandoned properties into bird motels.

Fans of the gelatinous soup, which is popular in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, said it could stave off ageing, boost sex drive, prevent lung disease and enhance the complexion.

Kenneth Khoo, from the Small and Medium Industries Association in Penang, said the global trade in raw bird's nests was estimated at RM20 billion.

"Swiftlet farming in Malaysia is a sunrise industry. Demand far exceeds supply as more wealthy Chinese emerge," he said, adding that bird's nest soup remained a status-booster on business menus in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

But as the industry expands along the east and west coasts of peninsular Malaysia, opposition to the swiflet farms is growing louder and environmentalists are demanding a complete ban.

There are also allegations of cruelty as some "farmers" reputedly destroy chicks and fertilised eggs in order to harvest the nests at times when prices are high.

Conservation group Friends of the Earth has condemned the trade and called on the government to close down the proliferating swiftlet farms.
Trade with buyers and suppliers from around the world on Alibaba.com!




"This rather impetuous booming industry has led to complaints from the public due to the nuisance, health hazards and the number of bird hotels coming up," said Mohamad Idris, president of the group's Malaysian branch.



"Collectors may not wait long enough for the young to fledge, often throwing the chicks onto the ground or leaving them to die after taking the nests.

"In view of the problems faced by many in the farming of swiftlets and from the welfare point of view of the birds, we would like to call for a ban on all farming of swiftlets." -- AFP


Mukhriz: Time to tap its potential

THE rearing of swiftlets should be made one of the industries in the country's agricultural sector because of its lucrative income, Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir said.

He said the technology in the rearing of swiftlets had changed.

"The birds can be bred using the hatchery process and reared for its nest," he said after opening an association for agriculture and agro-based industry entrepreneurs and a swiftlet rearing project in Kulim last week.

He said such a project was being carried out by the association at Kampung Sungai Tengas, near Kulim.

Some 8,000 birds were being reared in the project which, when fully operational, was expected to yield an income of RM120,000 a month. -- Bernama

Are birdnests really healthy?

Article from The Star

WHILE the consumption of birds' nests has riled some and is misunderstood by others, the Chinese swear by the health properties of these nests created by swiftlets.

A gelatinous bowl of double-boiled birds' nests is believed to slow ageing, improve the complexion, cure coughs, and even improve your sex drive!

Are birds' nests really healthy or are they merely a status symbol prized by the Chinese – all the way since the Tang Dynasty (618CE-907CE), by the way.

"Extracts of birds' nests were found to have a direct stimulating effect on cell renewing and regeneration. They may also slow down the ageing process," says Dr Christopher Lim, kidney specialist, Universiti Putra Malaysia associate professor, and swiftlet farmer.

In Chinese traditional medicine, bird's nest is recommended for a dry, heaty, chronic cough with blood stained phlegm. – File photo courtesy of Eu Yan Sang

Research conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong has discovered that the soluble glycol protein and amino acids (aspartic acid, glutamic acid, praline, theonine, and valine) in the saliva the swiftlets use to construct their nests could strengthen the human immune system and promote good skin.

One of the major components of the carbohydrates found in the saliva is sialic acid. It has been found that exogenous (originating outside the body) sources of sialic acid may contribute to neurological and intellectual advantages in infants.

The birds' saliva also contains glucosamine, a substance that reportedly protects joints from degenerating.

Researchers at the University of Shizuoka in Japan have discovered that extracts from edible bird nests contain anti-flu properties.

Elderly people believe that cave nests are better as it takes up to three hours to double boil them while nests farmed in houses or other manmade structures take only 30 minutes. Dr Lim has a different view, though.

"If the proteins take three hours of double boiling to break down, they might not be easily digested in the human body," he says. "Furthermore, cave nests have a higher sodium and mineral content, which may be unsuitable for those with high blood pressure, kidney stones, or thalassemia.

"Birds' nests are one of the most nutritious organic foods available and are absolutely halal," he adds.
■ Some information sourced from ‘Make Millions from Swiftlet Farming: A Definitive Guide' by Dr Christopher Lim.