Chicken slaughterhouses to get 1-month foreign worker levy waiver amid Malaysian export ban

SINGAPORE – Hen slaughterhouses below, impacted by Malaysia’s rooster export ban, will obtain a a single-thirty day period waiver of the overseas employee levy to assist assistance companies and maintain business capabilities.

The evaluate, part of a $1.5 billion aid package deal introduced on Tuesday (June 21) by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong, will help Singapore’s 11 hen slaughterhouses, some of which have experienced to halt creation lines and set team on go away due to the export ban.

Malaysia imposed a ban on chicken exports on June 1 amid a shortage in the region. Exports were being halted so that rates and source there could stabilise.

In accordance to the Singapore Foods Company, 34 for each cent of Singapore’s rooster provide arrives from Malaysia. Most of the Malaysian supply is imported stay and slaughtered in this article.

Even though Malaysia partly lifted its ban on rooster exports previous week, allowing for exports of kampung rooster and black chicken, the ban on exporting commercial broiler chicken – which helps make up the the greater part of Singapore’s hen imports from Malaysia – is nonetheless in result.

All through the announcement on Tuesday, Senior Minister of Condition for Manpower Koh Poh Koon acknowledged that hen slaughterhouses, whose employees’ livelihoods count on the slaughtering of stay chickens, have been directly impacted by the ban.

Mr Ma Chin Chew, chief government officer of Hup Heng Poultry Industries, reported productivity is down by 80 for every cent at the company’s slaughterhouse services.

Even though personnel have not been created to just take go away, he claimed working several hours have been shortened to two to a few several hours a day alternatively than 8 to nine hrs. But the firm is nonetheless shelling out its workers full-time salaries. 

Mr Ma explained: “The help measure will absolutely support to tide above this challenging time. Operations are at a bare minimum and sales have dropped by 60 to 70 for every cent. We are really appreciative of the assistance.”

Asked if the business is searching for alternate sources of rooster, Mr Ma, who is also secretary of Singapore’s Poultry Merchants’ Association, said there have been talks with Indonesian suppliers and the authorities to potentially import are living chickens from Indonesia. 

He included: “Things are nevertheless in progress and there are logistics and transportation concerns to perform out, but it is wanting optimistic. From what I know, they are able of matching Malaysia’s supply to Singapore.”

At the push conference, Dr Koh added that the Govt has been operating intently with sector associates and trade associations to ramp up substitute provides of hen in Singapore and have also served impacted stallholders change to frozen rooster or thawed frozen rooster as choices.