Thursday May 9, 2013

Stop China chicken consignment, says consumer group

PETALING JAYA: The Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia has appealed to the authorities to stop an incoming batch of 98 containers containing frozen deboned chicken from China.

Its secretary-general Datuk Dr Ma’amor Osman said the shipment, which had not been properly scanned for the H7N9 virus, should not be allowed into the country.

He said this in response to Veterinary Services Department (DVS) director-general Datuk Abd Aziz Jamaluddin’s statement that each shipment would be tested for the virus first.

“I am aghast and saddened by the statement made by Aziz. As at May 1, the total human deaths reported in China is 26 while confirmed cases of infection have risen to 127 since the outbreak was reported,” Dr Ma’amor said in a statement.

He pointed out that neighbouring countries like Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore had since 2006 issued bans on frozen chicken from China “for fear that this virus is difficult to detect due to its elusive nature”.

“We hope the Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Ministry will take immediate action to send the containers back to China in order to prevent a pandemic and at the same time instruct DVS to freeze all applications for import permits for poultry meat, be it frozen or otherwise, from China.

“We must follow the examples of our neighbouring countries whereby an immediate ban was imposed. Prevention is always better than cure,” said Dr Ma’amor.

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