Call for more permits to import turkey meat
Published on: Sunday, December 21, 2014
KOTA KINABALU: MP Jimmy Wong suggested that the Government approve more importation permits in order to bring in halal-certified turkey meat. He said DAP Sabah shared the disappointment of many in Sabah who would be celebrating Christmas without turkey. He said a turkey roast on Christmas Day is considered a tradition among Christians in western countries but that it had already spread to other parts of the world such as Malaysia.
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Wong, who is also DAP Sabah Chief, asked what had gone wrong with the importation of turkey this year. Based on the statement by Malaysia's turkey farmer Ooi Say Tuan, the shortage of turkeys in Malaysia this year was due to the Government's policy of only importing halal turkeys from certified and accredited slaughterhouses. Ooi was reported as saying that the closure of the sole halal turkey plant in Australia this year, which had been supplying halal turkeys to the Malaysian market, had aggravated the situation. He said the plant was unable to sustain because halal turkey was seasonal.
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Due to the lower demand in terms of volume, Sabah has to rely on imported halal turkey from West Malaysia but when importers in West Malaysia faced difficulties in importing halal turkeys, the Sabah market is directly affected. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Wong hoped the Department of Veterinary Services and Animal Industry Sabah would take note of this matter.
