Industry supports seizure of poultry products

Business

THE Poultry Industry Association has commended the seizure and destruction of illegal poultry products by the National Capital District Commission (NCDC) last week.
Association secretary Dr Keith Galgal, pictured, said they supported the decision.
“The PNG Poultry Industry Association (PIA) strongly supports the decisive action of the NCDC to seize and destroy illegally imported poultry product in Gordon, Port Moresby,” Galgal said.
“Illegal poultry imports pose serious risks to consumer health and PNG’s bio-security.
“Smuggled products from Southeast Asia is particularly dangerous given the prevalence of diseases such as bird flu and newcastle disease.
“Also thousands of Papua New Guineans are employed in the poultry sub-sector and it is their jobs that are at risk if dangerous Southeast Asian poultry products enter Papua New Guinea.
“Earlier this year, the association discovered the sale of illegal poultry products at Gerehu, Six-Mile and Gordon.”
He said the association was calling on agencies such as the ICCC, Naqia, Customs, Health Department, Department of Trade Commerce and Industry and the Department of Agriculture and Livestock to take similar actions.
“The PIA calls on the consumers to report any sightings of illegal chicken meat in shops and supermarkets to NCDC health and community service division and Naqia or other government agencies mentioned above.”
National Capital District deputy city manager (community and social services) Lulu Ted said they confronted the owner of the shop at Gordon on July 21.
“What we are doing now is to make sure that we destroy these items because they are not labelled,” Ted said.