Friday May 7, 2010
No reason to ban swiftlet farming
I REFER to the letter “Ban all swiftlet farming activities” (The Star May 5).
The writer’s concern for the welfare of the birds and his call to allow them to live in their natural habitat are laudable. However, I do not think swiftlet farming is cruel to the birds.
It is true that swiftlet farmers set up houses to lure the swiftlets to nest inside. But it must be remembered that if the house does not meet the swiftlet’s “taste”, it will not stay. That’s why the success rate of swiftlet farming is low at only about 30%.
Now, if the swiftlet stays, it means as far as that swiftlet is concerned, it is its natural habitat. We must not forget that the swiftlets migrated here from Indonesia because their natural habitat was affected by open burning.
A farmer cannot compel the swiftlet to come, neither can he compel the swiftlet to stay. All he does is to get ready a place and hope the swiftlets like it. The swiftlets come and go as they like; they leave in the morning to hunt for food, and come back in the evening – if they want to.
Personally, I think swiftlet farming is more humane than chicken farming. The chicken layers are kept in cages with the sole purpose of laying eggs for human consumption, without once seeing any of the eggs hatch. And when their job is done, they are sent to the factories to be processed for meat!
As far as harvesting of nests is concerned, the farmer knows that his long-term profit depends on the multiplication of the birds. It is suicidal to harvest the nests before the fledglings are mature. Of course, there are some dumb ones but they are the exception rather than the rule.
As for the noise from the speakers, I would rather listen to the chirping of the birds than the deafening music from some shops and the roaring traffic.
What about hygiene? A knowledgeable writer to this column had earlier explained that these birds have very clean habits – they only do their “business” inside the house. So one does not need to worry that they will drop anything on one’s head. Also, they do not hang around food outlets, unlike crows.
I am not a swiftlet farmer. But I know of a small town where, for generations, many of the town people made a living by operating small provision shops. Then the town was invaded by supermarkets which sold items below the cost price of the small traders. Within a short time, some of them were reduced to poverty level. Swiftlet farming threw them a life line.
It is for this reason that I think the call to ban all swiftlet farming activities is inconsiderate. Most of the nests are exported, earning the nation valuable foreign exchange. Swiftlet farming helps both the farmers and the nation. I appeal to the Government to do all it can to help the farmers.
HUMANE,
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