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Ban on cooked poultry from Malaysia unnecessary

I refer to the letter “Experts don’t recommend culling of wild birds” (Feb 16), and would like to add my views about the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore’s (AVA) policies.

I refer to the letter “Experts don’t recommend culling of wild birds” (Feb 16), and would like to add my views about the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore’s (AVA) policies.

A few months ago, I wrote to it about the ban on roast duck or fried chicken from fast-food outlets such as Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) being brought into Singapore from across the Causeway for personal consumption.

When it responded, it cited the risk of bird flu as the reason for the rule. I pointed out to them that the World Health Organisation has said that eating cooked food does not raise bird flu concerns, so long as the meat has been properly cooked. But the AVA said the source of the meat and how it was cooked remain unknown and cannot be properly evaluated.

We are talking about KFC here. The ban on bringing in such foods simply creates extra work for our Customs officers during inspections, when it appears unnecessary.

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