Ubin residents' complain over Fowl Play
Teh Jen Lee, The New Paper 4 Aug 09;
IT HAS been four years since the Government banned the keeping of poultry on Pulau Ubin, due to fears of bird flu.
But many residents of Ubin want the rule changed.
A 67-year-old resident, who declined to be named, said: 'All families here would like to keep some chickens and ducks. Otherwise, what will we depend on for a living?
'We used to get eggs and fresh meat from keeping poultry, but now we have to get these from Changi Village. Each trip there and back costs $5. Sometimes we have to wait (for) more than an hour for the bumboat because there aren't enough people to fill it.'
He has had to change his diet to mainly canned food since the poultry ban in mid-2005.
Chicken dung was also hard to replace as fertiliser.
'My fruit trees are not doing well. Their leaves are all yellow. I've tried to rear rabbits and use their droppings, but it's not as good because rabbits eat only grass,' he said in Mandarin.
'What kind of kampung is this, if there are no chickens to be seen anywhere? People bring their kids here, but there's nothing for them to see.
'They don't know what real chickens are like.'
Residents like him are unhappy that the authorities allow up to 10 chickens to be kept in cages on the mainland. But in Ubin, no chickens are allowed.
The penalty for breaking these rules is a maximum fine of $10,000 and a year in jail.
Officers from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) visit Ubin every month to enforce the rules, an AVA spokesman said. AVA officers also regularly check all farms on the mainland.
Poultry farms in Lim Chu Kang, Murai and Sungei Tengah Agrotechnology Parks are allowed to rear chickens.
In the past three years, no one has been caught for either having too many chickens or not caging them properly in mainland Singapore or Pulau Ubin.
However, chickens have been seen roaming around non-farm areas on mainland Singapore.
Some visitors to Ubin think that the poultry ban takes away the island's kampung ambience.
Mr Ravindran Kanapathy, 48, a lecturer who visits the island about five times a year, said: 'It's a sad thing to do because this is one of the few places left behind to give us the nostalgic feeling.
'Why not let it be as natural as possible?'
Another visitor, Ms Sharifah Alwi, 36, an executive, thinks it's unfair that chickens can be kept on mainland Singapore but not on Ubin.
'Best place' to keep chickens
'I disagree with it because Ubin is the best place to keep chickens,' she said.
But the pain is felt most by the residents.
Said Mr Lim Choo Zi, 80: 'They should change the rule and allow us to keep chickens.'
He said that since Ubin residents have no jobs, it's more expensive to buy meat and eggs from provision shops.
Madam Ong Swee Eng, 82, an Ubin resident who used to keep about 100 chickens, said she also wants to see the rule changed.
She said in Hokkien: 'Here there's space for the chickens. It doesn't make sense that they don't allow it here, but it's allowed on the mainland.'
With a higher population density on the mainland, which translates to more people being potentially affected if there were to be a bird-flu outbreak, shouldn't the authorities have stricter rules on the mainland?
The AVA spokesman said: 'Bird flu can be spread through infected wild birds. The risk of poultry on the mainland coming into contact with wild birds is much lower, given the urban conditions.
'The 10 caged poultry rule is not a sustainable solution for Pulau Ubin as the residents will not comply with the rule after some time.'
He added that since the bird-flu situation in the region was not abating, the risk of 'backyard poultry farms becoming infected cannot be underestimated'.
He added: 'Singapore is currently free from bird flu. If bird flu occurs at Pulau Ubin, Singapore will lose its bird-flu status and public health will be compromised.'
What about free-ranging birds at tourist attractions likes Jurong Bird Park and Sentosa?
AVA has vaccinated such birds against bird flu, said the spokesman.
AVA also conducts regular surveillance on wild birds at Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve and Pulau Ubin, as well as urban pests such as mynahs and crows.
The public can call the AVA at 18004761600 if they come across anyone keeping too many chickens or not caging them properly.
