THE Penang Island City Council (MBPP) has extended the deadline for poultry sellers at public markets to instal their respective chillers from March 1 to May 31.
MBPP mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang said the extension was made following a request by the representatives of the Persatuan Gabungan Peniaga-Peniaga Ayam Pulau Pinang in a meeting with them on Feb 4.
“MBPP is one of the last local councils in the country to stop chicken slaughtering activities in the wet markets. In fact, MBSP (Seberang Perai City Council) had halted chicken slaughtering in their markets even before 2000.
“Chillers are now made mandatory for the poultry sellers by MBPP by the end of May to ensure that the chicken meat being sold is fresh. That is the tentatively date we’ve agreed with them.
“At the same time, we can understand that certain people may have some difficulty. By that time, if they still have problems, we are willing to listen to them.
“What we’re glad to see is that the response to instal chillers from the chicken sellers is positive. Out of the 177 chicken stall sellers on the island, 114 have agreed to do so. In fact, more than 30 had already installed their respective chillers,” Yew told a press conference after conducting the MBPP monthly meeting at City Hall today.
Asked what would MBPP do since the issue has been politicised, Yew said it was beyond the control of MBPP.
“Our conscience here at MBPP is clear; we want to take care of the safety of the rakyat. We want them to have fresh chicken meat and that is why we require the chicken sellers to instal chillers. We hope the media will help us play their part,” he replied.
To encourage chicken sellers to instal chillers, Yew said MBPP would give a rebate of RM1,000 on their licencing fees.
Yew added that there are currently 12 chicken slaughter houses in Seberang Perai with four of them having VHM (veterinary health mark) certification. He hopes the rest would upgrade their standard and obtain VHM certification in due time.
Yew said MBPP would help facilitate chicken sellers on the island to set up chicken slaughter houses if they could find partners for the venture.
In a recent statement, MBPP said the chillers the stalls have to instal costs around RM3,000 but each stall must purchase or lease their own chiller.
MBPP said it would provide free upgrades and wiring at the affected markets to support the ruling.
It also said the use of water and ice cubes to preserve meat freshness at such stalls were inadequate and meat must be refrigerated at below 4 degrees Celcius to preserve their freshness.
MBPP is in the process of building a dressed poultry distribution centre near the Batu Lancang Market to ease the implementation of the policy.
It stressed that all poultry sellers have the option to take poultry supplies from the centre or to obtain supplies from their own suppliers with VHM certification.
Among those who attended the meeting were the Penang Department of Veterinary Services director Dr Anun Man and Penang Islamic Affairs Department representative Nurhanisa Osman, who were both supportive of MBPP’s exercise calling for the installation of the mandatory chillers.
Other issues were also brought up in the meeting by a few councillors.
Wong Yuee Harng, the MBPP alternate chairman for finance management standing committee, said MBPP has agreed to continue extending the waiver of the annual assessment fees for the Salvation Army Children’s Home at 8A, Jalan Logan. Its property has an annual value of RM130,810.
He said the waiver for the annual assessment fees would continue for three years, from Jan 1, 2021 to 2023.
For the record, Wong said MBPP had given assessment waiver to 860 organisations, particularly non-profit ones, last year which amounted to RM2.2 million.
Among the organisations were Penang War Museum, Pusat Kesedaran Wanita (WCC), Penang Fo Yi Haemodylisis, Lam Wah Ee Hospital, Mount Miriam Cancer Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi.
MBPP secretary Datuk Addnan Mohd Razali, heads of departments and some of the councillors were also present at the meeting which was also conducted via video conferencing.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Adleena Rahayu Ahmad Radzi