Minister explains why animal products seized at KKIA

KOTA KINABALU: Sabahans and tourists are advised against bringing animal products from other countries into Sabah.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Yahya Hussin said that the government has laws to enforce, which requires inspection of agricultural products including livestock and fish.

He was referring to the recent seizure of animal products such as roasted duck by the Quarantine Unit of the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) Sabah, while they were brought to the State via air travel at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) here. The product was brought by tourists or Sabahans who returned from travel to China, Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region) or Taiwan.

Although the seizure of the products caused dissatisfaction among the travellers, it was necessary as the government intended to ensure that there will be no harmful diseases brought into the state and affected Sabah development, especially the livestock industry, Yahya said.

“The seizure of this product, of course, gives rise to a sense of dissatisfaction from the passengers; they will also give a variety of reasons, while some even behave abusively to the officers in charge. The officers were only carrying out their duties for the benefit of many. So, we have to support them.

“Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) or bird flu, is one of the most feared diseases because not only can it harm the poultry industry, but it can also infect humans. According to the latest World Organization for Animal Health (OLE) report, HPAl H5N6 disease cases were detected in China on August 8, 2017, Taiwan on 26 December 2017 and Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region) on December 29, 2017.

“There were passengers who claimed that the roasted ducks they brought had undergone heating process which had killed all germs or viruses. But if you take a look further and open the products, especially at the joints, it still appears reddish, and this reddish area is the ideal place for bacterial or viral development and reproduction,” said Yahya, who is also Agriculture and Food Industry Minister, during the launch of promotion of local fruits and agro-based industries at KKIA here yesterday.