KUCHING: It is time for the Sarawak government to review and amend the laws pertaining to the bird’s nest industry in the state.
Deputy Minister of Public Health, Local Government and Housing Michael Tiang said he will therefore be communicating with other ministries and agencies to have better and more relevant laws regulating the industry.
However, for now, he advised all the swiftlet farmers and bird’s nest traders or merchants to apply for licences and adhere to the procedures and guidelines set by the authority.
“There is no need for a lot of finger-pointing over the issue as we all have the answer; those who are still illegal – please proceed to apply for a licence.
“As for the authority or the government, I agree that we have to assist and expedite all applications. This is the only way for the industry to move forward.
“Besides, some of the laws need to be reviewed,” he said.
Tiang said this after attending a dialogue held between the bird’s nest industry players and Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) at the KCGC Innovation Hub here Tuesday (May 30).
He also said bird’s nest traders must ensure the sources (swiftlet farmers) they are getting or buying from have a license, otherwise, the bird’s nests they bought would be considered illegal as well.
Meanwhile, SFC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Zolkipli Mohamad Aton said the corporation only acts as the secretariat for licence applications, namely, licences to operate, to collect and to sell or export and import bird’s nests.
“We are just the secretariat, once an application reaches us, it has to fulfil all the requirements and it will go through the Natural Resources and Environment Board, Land and Survey, Health Department as well as the local council before it is submitted to the State Planning Authority (SPA),” he explained.
“To issue a licence, it involves various agencies, and SFC doesn’t have the final say. Thus, we hope the industry players will understand this – we are not trying to make things complicated but there are certain procedures,” he added.
The dialogue was held after the seizure of bird’s nest in Sibu amounting to some RM2.5 million earlier this month.
It was previously reported that there are only 491 operators with licences for swiftlet farming, and over 800 who are still illegal.
Deputy Minister of Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment Datuk Len Talif Salleh said even if the operator has a permit but the farming does not follow the guidelines in the Wildlife Ordinance 1998, the bird’s nests produced are also illegal for commercial trade.
He said swiftlet farming can only be carried out under controlled conditions and at places away from urban areas, this is to protect the industry from unprincipled operators seeking wealth and tarnishing the reputation of the industry in Sarawak.
