PUTRAJAYA, June 20 (Bernama) -- China has withdrawn the temporary ban on import of birds' nest products from Malaysia to the country.
China has allowed nine companies from Malaysia to resume their export after adhering to the conditions set while two other companies were granted the "only passed after modification" status.
Four companies however, failed the audit that was conducted by China said Agriculture and Agrobased Industries Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said in a statement today.
Ismail Sabri said for the first batch, 20 processing plants had submitted their application and with the filtering done by the Veterinary Services Department (VSD), 15 applications were sent to China in March.
Following the submission, Ismail Sabri said an auditing team comprising six auditors from the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) came to Malaysia in April to audit the 15 processing plants.
The nine companies are Sunshine Region Sdn Bhd; PT Swiftlet Marketing Sdn Bhd; Tian Ma Bird Nest Sdn Bhd; Kuan Wellness Sdn Bhd; Wing Shen Food Industries Sdn Bhd; Fucifagus Agritech Sdn Bhd; Yan Ming Resources Sdn Bhd; Golden Mah Bird's Nest Sdn Bhd; and Yen Pao Lai (M) Sdn Bhd.
The two companies on condition are Multiform Food Supply Co Sdn Bhd and Biogrow Resources Sdn Bhd while the four that failed are Dama Jing Yi Yanwo Sdn Bhd, Amity AKF Enterprise Sdn Bhd, Sai Kim Enterprise Sdn Bhd and Swallow House Enterprise.
The temporary ban on local birds' nest to China started in July 2011 after the Chinese authorities found the quality of the birds' nest imported to China did not comply with the permissible nitrite level.
The red colored nest or cave nest was found to contain more than 1,000 parts per million (ppm) level of nitrite which was harmful for human consumption.
He added that a second batch of another 15 processing plants would be sent to China for approval and audit.
Bernama.