(MY) - bird's nest

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Thursday December 15, 2005 - The Star

 

Perak bird's nest farmers must adhere to new guidelines

 

IPOH: Perak has approved guidelines for the bird's nest farming

industry, including fixing a RM500 annual licence fee to operate such

businesses.

 

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali said the

guidelines, approved during the state executive council meeting

yesterday, would take effect on Jan 1.

 

Once enforced, he said, the operators must ensure that their

activities adhered to requirements set by the state government.

 

" With the introduction of the guidelines, we hope all complaints,

especially those from the neighbours of premises used to breed the

birds, will be tackled.

 

" While we want more people to venture into the business, we do not

want the industry to create a nuisance and health hazard to the

public, " he told reporters here yesterday.

 

Tajol Rosli said under the guidelines, recordings of birdcalls played

through loudspeakers to attract swiftlets could only be switched on

from 7am to 7pm.

 

The speakers must also be directed upwards, he added.

 

Operators, he said, could obtain the list of guidelines and also start

applying for licences from their respective local councils.

 

Tajol Rosli added that there were 1,157 bird's nest farmers in the

state with the majority located in the Manjung district, although such

activities could also be found in Taiping, Teluk Intan and Kerian.

 

He said that about 90% of the operators used shoplots to breed the swiftlets.

 

" We have discovered only 79 residential buildings so far that have

been used to attract swiftlets, " he said.