‘Don’t roast officers who seize animal products at airport’
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Yahya Hussin said the people must understand that the seizure of such products was for the good of the public and that the veterinary officers at the airport were only doing their job.
He said public safety would be at risk if inspections on such items with the potential to cause an outbreak of infections, were lax.
He said many travellers with such products, including Sabahans returning home from holidays, vented their anger at the officers, with some even berating them.
“The travellers scold and argue with the officers from the Sabah Department of Veterinary Services and Animal Industry’s (Dovsai) quarantine unit because they can’t bring in roasted duck, ‘daging salai’ (smoked meat) or other animal-based products,” he said.
“They think that because the products like roasted duck have been through a heating process, all the bacteria and viruses are gone.
“But if you look at the hinges of the bones, you can see signs of redness… These are areas prone to bacterial or virus reproduction,” he added.
Yahya, who is also state agriculture and food industry minister, told reporters this after launching an event to promote local fruits at the airport here today.
He said while the authorities strove to make passenger handling comfortable and quick, they had to ensure they eliminated every chance of diseases like the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) from entering Sabah.
“If diseases like the bird flu are allowed in, they will not only kill livestock but also potentially humans,” Yahya said.
He added that such products were mostly carried in by those coming from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
According to the Sabah Animal Enactment 2015, anyone without a licence was not allowed to bring in or import any animal or animal product into the state, he said.
Those found guilty face a fine of up to RM50,000 or a maximum jail term of two years, or both, upon conviction.
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