By JOSEPH SIPALAN
jsipalan@thestar.com.my
PUTRAJAYA: China has agreed to set aside the mandatory use
of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags on bird's nests exported
by Malaysian swiftlet farmers from the protocol of entry of bird's nests
into China.
Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar
said China's General Administration on Quality Supervision, Inspection
and Quarantine accepted Malaysia's request for the removal of the
mandatory requirement, following protests from associations representing
swiftlet farmers.
The Chinese authorities however insist that we
have a mechanism to manage the traceability of bird's nests produced in
Malaysia right from the farm, he told a press conference at his office
here yesterday.
With the removal of the mandatory use of RFID,
swiftlet farmers now have the freedom to use any of three traceability
systems recognised by the Government. This includes RFID, barcode and quick response or QR code.
Noh
said they would also set up an advisory board, made up of
representatives from his ministry and associations representing swiftlet
farmers, to make sure communication lines remained open between both
parties. On the issue of exporting raw uncleaned bird's nests to
China, the minister said this would only be raised in a new round of
discussions with the Chinese Government as the current protocol of entry
which is expected to be signed on Sept 19 in Naning, China only covers
raw cleaned bird's nests.
Noh also slammed a group of swiftlet
farmers who are refusing to accept the Government's solution to China's
current ban on Malaysian bird's nests. “If they cannot even accept this (new arrangement), then it is clear that they simply want this industry to fail,” he said. Some
250 tonnes of Malaysian bird's nests were exported to China before the
country imposed a ban in July last year after finding high levels of
nitrites.
However, in April this year, the Chinese authorities
signalled that they might lift the ban after setting conditions, which
included a nitrite content level not exceeding 30 parts per million
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