Speaking to FMT, the federation’s president Jeffrey Ng said this was because Malaysia didn’t export any live birds to Saudi Arabia.
In fact, Ng said, Malaysia only exported live birds to Singapore.
But even so, the H5N1 outbreak in Kelantan had not affected exports to the island republic as authorities there understood the situation and that the avian flu outbreak was being controlled and contained in the state.
Earlier today, the Saudi environment, water and agriculture ministry was reported to have announced a temporary ban on the import of live birds, hatching eggs and chicks from Malaysia after a warning issued by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
“The Saudi ban is a precautionary measure they have to take, but it doesn’t affect us because we don’t export live birds to the country,” said Ng.
“What we export to the Middle East are cooked products, and these aren’t jeopardised by the virus.”
Ng added that the government had done a “great job” in controlling and containing the spread of H5N1.
Previously, the Veterinary Services Department assured Malaysian consumers that broiler chickens and eggs available at markets were safe for consumption.
The department said the products were supplied by the country’s chicken breeders and operators, and were certified free from the H5N1 avian flu.