KUALA LANGAT: The Kuala Langat District Council (MDKL) has temporarily halted the issuance of new licences for swiftlet (burung walit) farming in its jurisdiction.
MDKL president Mohamad Zain A. Hamid said their recent move was aimed at protecting the tropical birds.
“For now, we will only facilitate the renewal of existing licences. No new licences will be issued. We do not want the endangered species to be at risk as swiftlet farming activities have mushroomed.
“We warn anyone against conducting swiftlet farming activities illegally. We will not hesitate to drag them to court for the offence under MDKL’s Rearing of Swiftlet and Manufacturing of Swiftlets’ Nest By-Laws 2013,” Zain told the New Straits Times today.
MDKL dragged four individuals to court last week for illegal swiftlet farming. They were fined RM1,800 each for the offence after they failed to produce evidence to show that they possessed valid licences to carry out swiftlet farming.
The four pleaded guilty after the charges were read before Teluk Datok magistrate Saifuddin Rafiee.
MDKL prosecuting officer Hasrizal Abdul Rahim prosecuted while the four were unrepresented. They paid the fine.
MDKL’s investigations revealed that the four individuals had been conducting swiftlet farming illegally for more than a year at several shoplots in Banting.
The four premises were two in Bandar Sungai Emas, and at Jalan Bunga Pekan and Taman Seri Putra, which collectively housed more than 1,000 birds.
Zain said the illegal activities were discovered during patrols by MDKL’s enforcement team and after receiving complaints from those in the surrounding area.
“The four individuals were ordered by MDKL to shut down their premises. They have been instructed to convert the modified shoplots to their original status, which was only for commercial purposes.
“Approvals for swiftlet farming can only be given at agricultural areas that are licensed,” said Zain.
Found mostly in South East Asia, swiftlets build their nests using their saliva.
The highly sought after nests, popular for its health benefits, will be harvested and made into soup.
It was reported that a kilogramme of bird nest was worth close to RM6,000.