Singapore lifts suspension of poultry imports from Selangor

17 September 2007 (CNA)

SINGAPORE : Singapore is lifting the suspension on imports of poultry and poultry products from Selangor with immediate effect.

Singapore's Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority had visited Selangor recently to evaluate the surveillance and biosecurity systems put in place by Malaysia's Department of Veterinary Services to keep out bird flu.

Malaysia had declared that it was free from bird flu on September 9th this year.

This is in line with international guidelines which states that a bird flu affected country can declare freedom from disease 90 days following the culling and disinfection of the last case.

Malaysia supplies 3.6 million poultry birds and 83.7 million eggs per month to Singapore.

But AVA says imports from Selangor constitute only about 6 percent of the poultry and 1 percent of the egg imports from Malaysia.

Singapore imposed the ban in June this year following an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 virus in chickens in Selangor. - CNA/ch