January 30, 2004
Poultry Demand in Malaysia Down 5%
Poultry demand in Malaysia has dipped about 5% despite the country remaining free of bird flu.
The Federation of Livestock Farmers' Associations of Malaysia president Lee Ah Fatt said the slight dip is expected to be higher by some industrial players.
He also allayed fears of an outbreak in Malaysia like the ones that have killed at least 10 people in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and China.
"Low imports and strict hygiene standards have kept the virus out of Malaysia.
"We want to assure the public that farms in the country are hygienic and are regularly inspected by officers from the Veterinary Services Department.
"Our import of poultry products are also minimal, so there is nothing to fear," he told reporters here yesterday after a lunch meal which included chicken.
Lee, however, added that prices of chickens would continue to fluctuate, as the public's sentiments on the outbreak remained unpredictable.
Selangor and KL Poultry Traders Association adviser Datuk Dr Lee Chong Meng also played down fears of the virus jumping to humans from infected chicken meat as the way of cooking it in Malaysia would kill the virus.
According to the WHO and Health Ministry, cooking infected poultry at temperatures exceeding 70oC is sufficient to kill the virus.
The local poultry industry produces some 1.25 million chickens and 15 million eggs daily and has an annual turnover of RM6bil. Related businesses are worth about RM5bil.
