Friday, October 21, 2011

Allow bird’s nest in for now, China urged


KUALA LUMPUR: China should allow Malaysian bird’s nests to enter the country while a minimum nitrite content is determined here, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
He told a press conference yesterday that the ministry had written to its counterpart to allow for a grace period as many exporters could not meet the zero nitrite level requirement used by China’s port authorities.
“We are waiting for their reply at the moment,” he said, adding that the requirement went “against natural environment conditions” as bird faeces caused a certain percentage to be present in the nests.
“We have explained this to China’s Health Ministry and we are willing to work together. We are also working with the bird’s nest industry to determine the minimum nitrite content.”