SINGAPORE : Singapore could lift the ban on Perak ducks early next year, said Singapore representatives at an ASEAN meeting on bird flu.
The ban, which was imposed after an outbreak of bird flu in Malaysia, disrupted supply of chickens, eggs and ducks to Singapore earlier this year.
While the ban on chickens and eggs was lifted, the ban on ducks has not been fully lifted, with Singapore getting only some 50 percent of the supply it used to get.
The lifting of the ban on Perak ducks means another 15,000 ducks can enter Singapore daily -- about 75 percent of Singapore's total duck supply.
At the meeting, avian influenza was identified as the single most pressing agricultural and public health issue facing ASEAN today.
The H5N1 virus, which causes the disease, is endemic in the ASEAN region.
ASEAN wants a coordinated regional approach to prevent, control and eradicate bird flu.
Since this year, countries in the region have been exchanging information and affirming their commitment towards managing bird flu.
"The taskforce will formulate a coordinated approach to prevent, control and, if possible, eradicate HPAI in the region. To do so we need to establish concrete measures and protocols on the ground in order to deal with the threat," Singapore's Minister of State for Defence and National Development Cedric Foo said.
One example of successful cooperation between countries was when Malaysia and Singapore worked closely to contain the bird flu outbreak to the state of Kelantan.
Officials on both sides worked together on biosecurity measures and managed to partially resume trade in poultry and eggs from the south of Malaysia within six weeks of the outbreak.
The objective of this meeting is to make sure there are more success stories like this one. - CNA