Smuggled in Thai frozen chicken poses bird flu risk
TANAH MERAH: The Kelantan Veterinary Services Department is concerned that smuggled in frozen chicken from Thailand, banned in Malaysia, could be infected with the bird flu virus.
Department Director, Dr Mohd Zairi Serlan said the smuggling of frozen chicken had been rampant lately in the wake of the rise in cases of bird flu in Thailand, causing the demand for poultry meat in that country to drastically drop.
"We know the traders in the neighbouring country are trying to avoid heavy losses by smuggling the chicken into this country in the frozen form.
"What we are concerned is that these chicken would be processed again and turned into nuggets that are difficult to be traced", he told Bernama.
Dr Mohd Zain said this following the seizure of 578 boxes of frozen chicken, worth RM40,228, believed to be smuggled from Thailand at the Tanjung illegal jetty, Pengkalan Kubur last Nov 10.
Meanwhile, Bernama also approached the Kelantan Mufti, Datuk Mohamad Shukri Mohamad, who expressed his concern over the halal status of the smuggled frozen chicken.
He called on the relevant authorities to investigate whether the chicken had been slaughtered according to the Muslim requirements.
Last Nov 14, the Ministry of Agriculture and AgroIndustries banned the import of whole chicken and chicken parts from Thailand after reports that the bird flu disease is making a comeback in Southeast Asia.
Its Minister, Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said, the move was a precaution.
However there is no need for Malaysians to be alarmed as the Veterinary Services Department has not received any reports of the bird flu disease in the country.
Before this, the World Veterinary Health authorities have reported the outbreak of the bird flu disease in Sokhotai, Thailand.
Following the freeze on the import of frozen chicken from Thailand, the customs authorities tightened border watch to ensure that none of the frozen chicken is smuggled into Malaysia.
Dr Mohd Zairi said, the local veterinary authorities were concerned that the frozen chicken had not been inspected by their Thai counterparts before being slaughtered.
"As there is no certainty that the chicken had received clearance from the Thai veterinary authorities before being slaughtered, it is not possible for us to determine whether the frozen chicken is really free from that disease", he added.
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