Winging it: Young swiftlets resting on bird nests in one of George Town’s swiftlet houses.
PETALING JAYA: Malaysian producers of bird’s nest fear that they will miss the golden opportunity to export about RM50mil worth of the delicacy to China in time for Chinese New Year after the Newcastle disease virus was detected in Malaysia.
It is a contagious viral avian disease that affects domestic and wild birds.
The announcement on the outbreak is causing a headache to Malaysian companies as they were in the midst of preparing their bird’s nest exports in time for festivities on Jan 29, 2025.
The Veterinary Services Department (DVS) announced the temporary suspension of bird’s nest product exports, including raw-cleaned and raw-uncleaned edible bird’s nest, to China starting on Christmas Day due to a Newcastle disease outbreak in Malaysia, as reported by the World Organisation for Animal Health.
ALSO READ: MYMBN impacted by halt in bird’s nest exports
Stakeholders said the temporary halt of exports have made 15 tonnes of bird’s nest products worth RM50mil from Malaysia unsellable.
Datuk Chua Huai Gen, president of the Malaysia Swiftlet Nest Industry and Exporters Association, said as Chinese New Year falls on Jan 29, this period is when bird’s nest exporters are preparing to ship their products to China.
“There are currently 58 companies authorised to export bird’s nest to China.
ALSO READ: Malaysia targets RM2.8bil in bird's nest exports by 2030
“It is estimated that 10 to 15 tonnes of bird’s nest, valued at RM50mil, will not be airlifted to China,” he said, adding that this period would be the most profitable time for Malaysian bird’s nest exporters.
Chua said according to the updated list released by Chinese authorities on Dec 20, a total ban has been imposed on the import of animals and their products from countries with prevalent animal diseases.
This is despite the DVS reporting that cases of Newcastle disease have only appeared in Perak, Sabah, Negri Sembilan, Selangor and Melaka.
Stakeholders are now closely monitoring the latest information regarding the ban by the Chinese authorities.
“Since this is the peak period for exporting bird’s nest to China, those shipped between Dec 20 and Dec 23 are still awaiting customs clearance in China.
“The sudden announcement has caught us off-guard, impacting our operations,” said Chua.
Chua added that the Newcastle disease primarily affects poultry.
However, as swallows are avian, their exports have been temporarily halted pending further quarantine measures from the DVS before China agrees to resume imports, he said.
Allen Tan, the president of the Federation of Malaysia Bird’s Nest Merchants’ Association, said the temporary ban has caused confusion and concern among industry members.
He said that as swallows are categorised as birds, DVS needs to clearly differentiate swallows from other types of poultry.
Furthermore, they should provide samples to ensure there is no risk of transmission.
“Newcastle disease is not like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome; it has been endemic for years and doesn’t affect bird’s nest.
“Although chickens and swallows are both avian, the department tests every batch of bird’s nest to ensure safety is maintained,” Tan added.
Currently, swiftlet houses must be registered with the DVS, and bird’s nest processing must undergo heat treatment.
Additionally, each batch of bird’s nest can be traced.
Tan said Malaysian authorities regularly inspect swiftlet houses.
The processing technology uses a straightforward heat treatment where exposure to temperatures above 70°C for more than 3.6 seconds effectively eliminates risks.
He said with Chinese New Year approaching, any delay in shipment will undoubtedly affect operations.
Tan said the DVS informed the members that it will continue to closely monitor the situation and manage communication to avoid unnecessary panic.
“Traceability methods are in place, and the processing period has been shortened.
“This is a temporary situation, and bird’s nest farmers should not overreact. The government is controlling forced sales.
“We are working closely with the DVS and relevant authorities to expedite the resolution of this matter.
“Our priority is to maintain trust with our international partners and ensure minimal disruption to the supply chain.
“We urge stakeholders and the public to remain calm and trust the established safety protocols.
“This situation is temporary, and we are confident it will be resolved swiftly.”
Currently, Malaysia is one of four countries permitted to export bird’s nest to China. The others are Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.
China is the largest consumer of bird’s nest in the world, accounting for over 96% of global consumption.
According to the Chinese Bird’s Nest Traceability Management Service Platform, in 2023, the import volume of Malaysian edible bird’s nest into China was 155.5 tonnes, making up 27.9% of the country’s total imports of edible bird’s nest, marking nine consecutive years of growth.
As of the third quarter of this year, Malaysia has exported a total of 102 tonnes of bird’s nest to China.
