MPKu banteras operasi burung walit langgar syarat

Oleh : WARTAWAN SINAR HARIAN
Tarikh : December 3, 2011

KULAIJAYA – Majlis Perbandaran Kulai (MPKu) telah memperoleh 14 perintah mahkamah terhadap premis melanggar syarat operasi sarang burung walit di sekitar kawasan perbandaran ini.

Pegawai Undang-undang MPKu, Zakaria Ahmad berkata, tindakan mahkamah itu bertujuan membanteras kegiatan operasi sarang burung walit yang dijalankan di premis-premis bangunan kerana mendapati ia tidak mematuhi garis panduan ditetapkan.

“Mengikut garis panduan, pemilik premis hanya boleh memasang audio atau alat pembesar suara bermula di antara jam 7 hingga 9 pagi dan 5 petang hingga 8 malam.

“Namun ada di antaranya gagal berbuat demikian sehingga mengganggu ketenteraman awam terutamanya penduduk yang tinggal di kawasan sekitar,” katanya.

Sehubungan itu katanya, MPKu menerusi Bahagian Penguatkuasaan menjalankan ‘Ops Senyap’ di beberapa premis perusahaan sarang burung walit baru-baru ini bagi memastikan premis terbabit mematuhi garis panduan Jabatan Perkhidmatan Veterinar (JPV).

“Dalam ops ini kita mengeluarkan notis amaran kepada premis yang memasang audio di luar waktu ditetapkan atau mengenakan tindakan mahkamah terhadap mereka.

“Operasi ini bertujuan menguatkuasakan peraturan yang ditetapkan JPV agar tidak wujud gangguan bunyi bising di kawasan sekitar premis,” katanya.

Selain itu katanya, pengusaha juga boleh diberikan notis mengikut Seksyen 82 Akta Kerajaan Tempatan 1976 sekiranya gagal mematuhi garis panduan yang ditetapkan manakala pihaknya akan menjalankan tinjauan susulan bagi memastikan amaran dipatuhi.

“Jika pengusaha didapati masih ingkar, kita akan dapatkan perintah mahkamah untuk menyerbu premis berkenaan dan merampas barangan yang terdapat di dalam premis di bawah Seksyen 56 Kanun Acara Jenayah,” katanya.

Zakaria berkata, MPKu juga telah bekerjasama dengan Persatuan Pengusaha Burung Walit Kulaijaya bagi memudahkan pemantauan dijalankan di kawasan ini namun terdapat beberapa premis yang masih tidak mendaftar melalui persatuan ini.

“Berdasarkan rekod yang diberikan persatuan pada tahun lalu, terdapat 158 pengusaha yang menjalankan 228 perusahaan burung walit di daerah ini.

“Bagaimanapun, hasil semakan MPKu mendapati 260 premis burung walit termasuk premis tidak berdaftar dan angka ini dijangka meningkat sehingga penghujung tahun ini,” katanya.
SINAR

Register to tap into China market

By Yunus Yussop. Posted on December 11, 2011, Sunday

BINTULU: Swiftlet farmers must register with the Department of Veterinary Services before they can export to China — the world’s largest birds’ nest market.
Veterinary Services Department Sarawak assistant director Dr Chia Pek Chin said to date only 71 had registered and only two processing plants had fulfilled Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements.
“For you to export to China, you must register with the Department of Veterinary Services in Putrajaya so that your company will be listed in the database for the whole of Malaysia. You will have no problem with the product in the future,” he said during a talk on swiftlet farming yesterday.
He said the recent case of high nitrate levels in birds’ nest sold in China was a setback for the billion ringgit industry.
“We want to do it legally and from now on the China government is very strict thus we have to do it legally to fulfil their requirements,” he stressed, adding that many procedures must be complied with.
Some 100 participants attended the seminar organised by Bintulu Birdnest Merchants Association.
Senior veterinary officer Dr Adrian Susin Ambud also spoke on Good Animal Husbandry Practice (GAHP) and GMP for swiftlet farming.
Malaysia is the world’s third largest birds’ nest exporter.

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/12/11/%e2%80%98register-to-tap-into-china-market%e2%80%99/#ixzz1gEs12qDe

Danger lurks at swiftlet hotel

By SULAIMAN JAAFAR
KUALA KRAI
news@nst.com.my | 0 comments

Tweet

District council issues vacate order

Shops were closed after police cordoned off buildings at Jalan Ah Sang in Kuala Krai following cracks that appeared after the construction of a swiftlet hotel. Pic by Syamsi Suhaimi

1 / 1

 THREE tenants of a building at Jalan Ah Sang here were ordered to vacate their shops yesterday as the building is in danger of collapse.
 A shopkeeper in the next building was also told to leave as it was also suffering extensive damage at the back.
 It is believed that cracks started appearing in the first building about two months ago after the owner constructed an additional floor to the two-storey building to house a swiftlet hotel.
 The owner of  Kedai Emas Sri Warisan, Zikri Awang Lah, 35, said he had been renting a shop lot on the ground floor of the building for the past seven years.
 “Cracks started appearing when the construction works began. I told the owner about it but he said there was nothing to fear as they had engineers monitoring the work.
 “However, it became serious in the past two weeks and I decided to look for another site as I encountered problems opening one half of the grille in the shop. I have found a new shop nearby and  started moving out my things on Wednesday.”
 He said he received a phone call from the police about 3am and when he went to the building, the police had already placed tapes around the area to stop people from entering.
 “I noticed that the top part of a beam at one corner had cracks and the grille of my shop was bent to one side and could not be opened.”
 Leong Sow Song, in her 40s, who is the owner of a shop next door selling women’s apparel, said she had been told to vacate the premises by officers from the Kuala Krai District Council who came to inspect the building about 11am.
“I have been doing business here for the past two years and I don’t know where to move to,” she said.
 The officers, however, declined to speak to the press.

Read more: Danger lurks at swiftlet hotel - General - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/local/general/danger-lurks-at-swiftlet-hotel-1.14618#ixzz1frSFAjxv

Nitrite Not Detected In Edible Bird’s Nest Through Thorough Cleaning Process

Asia, Singapore (PRWEB) November 26, 2011

Pureness Bird’s Nest, a leading bird’s nest researcher and bird’s nest education company based in Singapore has successful collaborated with the world’s renowned bird’s nest researcher and consultant in Malaysia, Dr Tan Boon Siong to produce nitrite free edible bird’s nest.
“I am really proud to work with Pureness Bird’s nest to deliver the hard truth to the loyal supporters of Bird’s Nest. In my many years of consulting, no single bird’s nest company had taken so much effort in ensuring the quality of the product to be 100% cleaned! The wholesalers or traders that I worked with are first concern about the price of bird’s nest before asking about the quality and the process of production of the bird’s nest. Pureness bird’s nest had impressed me by asking and ensuring that the cleaning process and production methods to be the top priority before anything else. For that, we are able to collaborate to create the breakthrough accomplishment of producing nitrite free bird’s nest for our value consumers!”
According to Pureness Bird’s Nest, the large numbers of bird’s nest consumers are largely pregnant mothers, children and elderly. It is therefore important to have a 100% pure cleaning process to ensure that the bird’s nest produced are free from heavy metals, dirty particles, chemicals and definitely free from sodium nitrite.
Excessive amount of Sodium Nitrite consumed can promotes the generation of nitrosamine, a carcinogenic substance (that may cause cancer). Another side effect of excessive sodium nitrite is the lack of one oxygen molecule; it is therefore very oxidative and can draw away oxygen from blood stream. Victims may have symptoms like; blue lip and blue hand. Pregnancy mothers who take excessive amount of Sodium Nitrite are therefore exposed to high risk of having pre-mature baby, due to the lack of oxygen in the blood.
Pureness Bird’s Nest once again swear by their mission to be a trusted, respected and ethical birdnest industry leader that excels at providing the highest quality of 100% pure bird’s nest to their customers.
About
Pureness Bird’s Nest was founded on 2009, when it first started to share with people about the hard truths about bird’s nest. Their expert bird’s nest researchers constantly provide the latest updates on bird nest information so as to keep their customers abreast on the bird nest market. Ensuring that their customers get the genuine chemical free bird’s nest is the top priority on their customer satisfaction list.
http://www.purenessbirdnest.com.sg/

Source : PRWEB

Swiftlet farming guidelines to be enforced in mid-2012

Meena Lakshana

Thursday, November 17th, 2011 10:27:00

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor government's guidelines on swiftlet farming is expected to come into force by the middle of next year.
In a reply to Gan Pei Nei (PKR-Rawang), Selangor executive councillor for local government, studies and research Ronnie Liu said the State government was in the final stages of drafting a standard set of guidelines for the industry.
He said this was necessary due to the "vague" guidelines under the Housing and Local Government Ministry.
"For example, the Federal government's guidelines stipulate swiftlet farms can be set up in cities but not city centres," he said during the State assembly sitting.
"It is difficult for the local councils to identify where exactly the city centre is."
Swiftlet farming is also allowed in agriculture areas but Liu said this was a problem in areas like Sekinchan, considered to be the rice bowl of Selangor.
"If we were to allow swiftlet farming near paddy fields, then the production of rice would be affected," he said.
He said only five local councils have licensed swiflet farms to operate under their jurisdiction. These are Selayang, Kuala Selangor, Hulu Selangor, Kuala Langat and Sabak Bernam.
Liu said from 2009, the farms in these five local councils recorded about RM433,000 in revenue.
He said currently, local councils issue temporary licenses for swiftlet farms to operate and handle complaints from the public while the Selangor Veterinary Services Department oversees the technical aspects of the industry.
Swiftlet farming produces birds nest, a lucrative business that has the potential to generate up to millions of ringgit in profit.
However, some operators who carry out the business at shophouses in small towns incur the wrath of residents due to the noise and unhygienic conditions.
Liu said it was not easy for the Selangor government to clamp down on such operators.
"Some have been conducting their business even before we (Pakatan Rakyat) took over the State," he said.
Source : MMAIL

Kota Marudu Set To Be An Economic Hub For Northern Sabah

November 13, 2011 17:13 PM

Kota Marudu Set To Be An Economic Hub For Northern Sabah

KOTA MARUDU, Nov 13 (Bernama) -- The transformation of Kota Marudu into a strategic agricultural centre and an economic hub for northern Sabah will be accelerated with high-tech prawn rearing and swiftlet farming being identified as activities under the National Key Economic Areas for the district.

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili said the two lucrative activities would complement further modern agricultural activities being undertaken in Kota Marudu which included stevia and vanilla cultivation.

"In Kota Marudu, efforts have been made to promote swiftlet farming as the district is conducive for the presence of swiftlets whose nests can fetch very high price in the market.

"So far, 30 swiftlet hostels have been developed for commercial purposes while 43 projects have been carried out under the e-Kasih list of hardcore poor to generate income for poor rural folks.

"With these activities, we hope Kota Marudu's economic growth will be accelerated aside from bringing the desirable outcomes of generating income and employment for the people," he said.

Ongkili, who is also Kota Marudu MP, said this when launching the district's annual Pesta Jagung at the Community Hall, here today.

Also present were Tandek assemblyman Anita Baranting and Banggi assemblyman Datuk Abdul Mijul Unaini.

Ongkili said that the Pesta Jagung, being held for the tenth year, which had been listed in the state's tourism calendar of events was a good platform to promote maize as one of the main crops in Kota Marudu and its surrounding areas.

The festival serves as an avenue to promote various modern technologies to enhance the cultivation of maize, as well as other agricultural produce, he said.

Various activities carried out in conjunction with the two-day festival included the much-awaited Ratu Jagung contest, stall exhibition by government agencies and departments and the private sector, and activities for the people such as tug-of-war.

MOSTI is also taking part in the exhibition to showcase technologies developed by its agencies that could be useful for farmers. One such technology is the corn thrasher machine developed by Technology Park Malaysia.

-- BERNAMA

Malaysia-China Working Team To Set Standard For Nitrate Content In Bird's Nest

November 08, 2011 22:00 PM

BEIJING, Nov 8 (Bernama) -- The health ministries of Malaysia and China are working together to resolve the issue of export ban on Malaysian swiftlet bird's nest as soon as possible.

Malaysia's Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said a joint working team comprising officials and experts from both sides was formed to set the standard for nitrate content in bird's nest.

"We hope the standard can be finalised by December," Liow told a press conference regarding a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Dr Chen Zhu on the bird's nest issue, held here, earlier Tuesday.

Liow said the two health ministries agreed on the fact that raw swiftlet bird's nest naturally contained nitrates.

"Both sides also agreed that no nitrate additive is allowed in the bird's nest," he added.

The minister said the mission of the joint working team was to set the standard for nitrate level in raw bird's nest that would not affect human health.

Liow has ordered the director of the ministry's Food Safety and Quality Division Noraini Othman to work together with the Chinese authority to complete the standard as soon as possible.

President of the Federation of Malaysia Bird's Nest Associations, Datuk Paduka Beh Heng Song, welcomed the decision to form the working team.

He said leaders of both countries attached great importance to the Malaysian bird's nest export and it brought hope to 600,000 Malaysian bird's nest industry players affected by the temporary export ban.

He said the industry players would follow the standard set by the authorities and work hard to enhance the quality of products.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had discussed with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on the temporary ban on Malaysian swiflet bird's nest export due to China's zero tolerance for high nitrate content in birds' nests during his working visit to Nanning, China on Oct 21.

Both countries agreed to resolve the issue as soon as possible, and Liow was asked to work together with the Chinese authority.

-- BERNAMA