Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Chua: RFID requirement unfair to swiftlet farm operators

IPOH: Making the installation of radio frequency identification (RFID) a requirement for the export of bird's nests to China is unfair to swiftlet farmhouse operators, said MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.

"It is not always the operators' fault if there are problems with bird's nests," he told reporters after visiting SJK(C) Gunung Rapat here Sunday.

"They should also realise that something might go wrong during packaging and processing," he said.

He said the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry seemed to have taken "an easy way out" when it imposed such a requirement.

The use of RFID as a requirement was introduced to detect swiftlets that produce bird's nest with a nitrite level exceeding 30ppm (parts per million).

Chinese authorities halted bird's nest imports from Malaysia in July last year, after testing samples containing nitrite levels that did not meet its health standards.

Dr Chua said he had raised an objection to the use of RFID at the National Economy Council two weeks ago.

He said Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar has agreed to work out an agreement with China to end the ban.

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