Swiftlet farm shutdown

Saturday March 12, 2011
The STar
By ANN TAN
anntan@thestar.com.my

Pic 1 Skylift entry: A female MPPP enforcement officer entering the second floor of the shophouses in Carnavon Street.


Pic 2 Unprocessed material: A council worker showing a bowl believed to contain birds' nest in a building in Carnarvon Street.

SPic 3 erious about crackdown: Penang Municipal Council enforcement personnel taking down a partition for swiflet breeding at the shophouse on Lorong Tok Aka.

THE authorities used a chain- saw to break into an illegal swiftlet nest farming site and a skylift to gain entry into another building suspected to be used for the same purpose.

A 60-member team, comprising Penang Municipal Council (MPPP), police and Penang Veterinary Department personnel, took part in the enforcement exercise yesterday to rid George Town of illegal swiftlet farming premises.

They first went to three adjoining double-storey shoph ouses on Carnarvon Street at about 10am but found the units unoccupied and ‘To Let’ notices pasted on the doors at the lower level.


MPPP personnel then used a skylift to get to the top floor and climbed into the building via a window there after removing its heavily tinted panes.

Shortly after, a worker came to open the door, saying that his boss told him to do so after being notified that there were many enforcement officers there.

Although the MPPP personnel found swiftlet droppings on the floor and a bowl believed to contain unprocessed birds nest, they could not find any nests or swiflets inside the building.


The man, who declined to be named, said his boss stopped the swiftlet nest business three years ago.

“He has renovated the units and is waiting for any interested party to rent the three shophouses,” he said.

His boss, known only as Yeoh, arrived minutes after the enforcement team left and was heard asking his employee why the enforcement personnel had to enter his premises like thieves.

When he saw a photographer taking photos of swiflet droppings inside the building, Yeoh lost his temper and pulled the photographer’s backpack before chasing the newsmen away.

The enforcement team later proceeded to a double-storey shophouse on Lorong Tok Aka where twittering sounds from speakers used to attract the swiftlets could be heard clearly.


They used a chainsaw to cut open the door lock after several calls went unanswered.

They left a RM250 compound notice on the door after seizing speakers from the unit and taking down partitions used for swiftlet nest farming.

MPPP had divided swiftlet nest farms in the city into four categories and the enforcement action yesterday was the start of the operations against 32 sites which had been illegally converted into such farms.

Penang Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said these farms had been issued with notices to stop operations last year.

“We have earlier acted against 11 new illegal swiftlet farming operators.

“The third category are 50 operators who applied for licences but did not get approval while 28 operators who came under the fourth category have received temporary licences,” he said.

The National Council for Local Government had decided on Sept 2 last year that new swiftlet nest farms would not be allowed at heritage sites in Penang and Malacca while existing ones would have to clear out in three years.

Chow said the state would not wait until the grace period ends before taking action.

Swift action on swiftlet breeding

Friday February 25, 2011

By MANJIT KAUR and WINNIE YEOH
north@thestar.com.my


PENANG has swung into action since Jan 1 to ensure operators of swiftlet breeding premises move out from the George Town heritage enclave despite the Federal Government’s three-year grace period.

State Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) had taken steps to address the issue which resulted in 28 farms run by 27 operators being closed down.

He said due to the low-profile enforcement, the public might not be aware of the processes that had taken place.

Chow said the council had identified swiftlet farms run by 121 operators in 128 heritage buildings in the inner city

“We’re taking action gradually against the remaining 94 operators running the business in 101 premises,” he said, adding that the next enforcement would take place next month.

He added that the council could not simply destroy the bird nests as they had to follow the instructions of the Veterinary Services Department on the right timing to do so.

“There are certain seasons when these birds lay eggs in the nests, and we cannot just destroy them,” he added.

It was reported yesterday that the Malacca and George Town’s joint Unesco World Heritage Site status may be in jeopardy due to the conversion of heri- tage buildings into swiftlet breeding premises.

Unesco’s World Heritage Centre has expressed concern over the matter following a series of reports the organisation had received.

Centre director Francesco Bandarin said, in a letter dated Jan 14, the reports stated that there were 200 to 300 swiftlet farms in George Town.

Chow said the MPPP had issued notices to the operators to stop the business at the heritage enclave, and some had been charged under the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974.

He said enforcement or legal action could be taken against those who defied the ruling under the Town and Country Planning Act 1976,

“Under the law, we have the right to demolish the extended illegal structure, and to bring down the recording system played to attract these birds.

“We are also in the process of having joint meetings with the stakeholders, technical agencies and the non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

“We are also serious about the operators restoring the building to its original structure once they move out,” he added

Chow said George Town World Heritage Incorporated (WHI) general manager Maimunah Mohd Sharif had on Jan 25 responded to the National Heritage Department commissioner of heritage Prof Emeritus Datin Paduka Zuraina Majid on the action that had been taken by the state authorities.

The Federal Government had on Sept 2, last year approved a new guideline for the swiftlet breeding industry (1GP) where such activities were not allowed to be carried out at both the heritage enclaves.

Penang Heritage Trust (PHT) presi- dent Khoo Salma Nasution said there was a need to have a new inventory of the number of operators conducting these businesses both in the core and buffer zones.

She said PHT was willing to work with MPPP to map out all the swiftlet houses.

“I hope the whole operation will be done in consultation with all parties including the NGOs, the owners of the shophouses, and the operators.

“We also need to know what happens once the operators move out of the renovated buildings that require rehabilitation,” she added

Eye on swiftlet breeding premises

Friday January 21, 2011
The Star


LABIS: Swiftlet breeding premises must have a computer chip detailing their locations so that the authorities can identify them if the public lodges complaints about noise and health pollution.

Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Chua Tee Yong said the tracking system, which was imposed following the introduction of the National Swift­let Industry Guidelines approved by the Cabinet recently, would enable the ministry to track them via GPS (global positioning system).

“It will be difficult to locate the premises if the chip is not installed because many do not have details of their addresses, including road names.

“The ministry has received many complaints from the public.

“They are worried about the impact of these premises on their health.

“Such places can create environment and noise pollution, too,” he said after closing a swiftlet industry seminar yesterday.

Chua said swiftlet breeders in Negri Sembilan had started to install the chip and he hoped all industry members would follow suit in the next three years.

“Malaysia’s current export of bird’s nest is expected to reach RM5bil by 2020 and it is important that the industry be regulated to meet all the requirements to allow healthy growth,” he added.

Chua said swiftlet operators must also seek certification from the Veterinary Services Depart­ment before they could export their produce.

He added that China, one of the largest importers of bird’s nest from Malaysia, wanted regulations to be in place to ensure proper product quality control was maintained.

Chua said the guidelines also covered other aspects like the location of premises, processing of bird’s nest, importing and exporting procedures, and the creation of environment-friendly premises.

Meda on returns from swiftlet farming

Friday November 13, 2009
The Star

PETALING JAYA: Swiftlet farming, which is a relatively new industry in the country, may see an investor reap returns on investments of about RM965,500 after a seven-year period by investing RM688,000 in a swiftlet house.

According to Meda Inc Bhd director Vincent Tiew, with the rapidly emerging bird’s nest market globally, the demand for bird’s nests had grown tremendously.

“The market demand for quality bird’s nests is increasing in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Korea,” he told reporters after the signing ceremony between Sri Lingga Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Meda Inc Bhd, and Golden Swift Resources Sdn Bhd (GSR) to launch an integrated eco-development named Nusa Swiftlet Eco-City yesterday.

“As long as there are Chinese in the world, bird’s nests will be consumed,” he said.

Nusa Swiftlet is the only swiftlet house development in Malaysia that has obtained permission from the local authority, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government.

“This kind of modern swiftlet cultivation integrated project is still uncommon in Malaysia,” he said.

Each unit is a three-storey swiftlet house built on a one-acre land with built-up area of 22 ft by 72 ft.

“Any extra land could be utilised for fruit or organic vegetable farming,” he said.
, adding that every single unit consists of reinforced concrete double walls and other swiftlet cultivation devices.”

A total of 52 units are for sale at RM688,000 each.

“You can do swiftlet cultivation on one acre of land and the yield way surpasses what you can do with one other long-standing industries,” he said.

Currently, Malaysia is the second largest exporter of bird’s nests, with annual production of about 135 tonnes.

The price of bird’s nests has risen tremendously over the years. Currently, it ranges between RM2,000 and RM4,800 per kg for unprocessed nests and RM8,500 for processed nests while premium grade can reach RM10,000 to RM15,000.

Tiew said investors could manage swiftlet houses themselves or assign the responsibility to GSR.