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SINGAPORE: More than 3,000 chickens died during their journey from Malaysia to Singapore in recent days after cargo trucks experienced delays at land entry checkpoints, said the poultry importers interviewed by CNA.
Cargo truck drivers have experienced longer-than-usual delays at the Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints since last week after Singapore’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MTI) announced that rapid COVID-antigen tests 19 would be progressively implemented. Drivers would have to test negative before they could enter Singapore.
Ms Wu Xiao Ting, a spokeswoman for the Singapore Poultry Traders Association, said that around 3,500 chickens died during the trip on Wednesday (January 27) and Thursday.
“The congestion has been bad in the last two days … The weather is too hot and the wait is too long, so they died,” he said Friday. “The congestion has impacted our business.”
View of the Woodlands Causeway between Singapore and Malaysia on January 22, 2021 (Photo: Try Sutrisno Foo)
Ms. Wu said the chickens were imported with 68 truckloads. They were scheduled to be transported to different slaughterhouses before being sold to retailers in Singapore.
“Those who died (during the trip) were eliminated. They cannot be handed over to retailers,” he added.
Poultry importer Toh Thye San Farm said that on Wednesday and Thursday, about 2,000 of the 60,000 chickens it imported from Malaysia died during the trip.
Company director Johnson Toh said the cargo trucks transporting the chickens were delayed between 9 and 11 hours at ground checkpoints.
“From what we saw, it was from the heat. They died from overheating. We can’t sell the chickens once they die. What we did was put them aside and report the incident to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA),” he said . said.
READ: Some Malaysian freight drivers encounter delays at Singapore checkpoints on the first day of mandatory COVID-19 testing
“HORRENDOUS WAIT” AT CONTROL POINTS: LOAD CONDUCTORS
Malaysian truck drivers who entered Singapore in the past week told CNA that congestion at checkpoints worsened after it was announced that they needed to undergo rapid COVID-19 antigen tests.
Last Friday, hours after the new rules were enforced, CNA reported that some drivers had experienced delays of around three hours at ground checkpoints.
However, those who entered Singapore in recent days said the wait has been extended to between 10 and 15 hours.
K Sasikumar, who delivers fresh fruits and vegetables to wholesalers at the Kota Tinggi Pasir Panjang Wholesale Center in Johor, told CNA that he spent around 12 hours in congestion at Tuas Second Link on Thursday before going through immigration.
A Malaysian truck parked at the Pasir Panjang Pasir Panjang Wholesale Center. (Photo: Amir Yusof)
“I arrived on Thursday morning at 4 in the morning and I only got to Pasir Panjang at 5 in the afternoon,” Sasikumar said.
“The wait was horrendous, the worst I have experienced in my 15 years working this route,” said the 54-year-old.
He added that some of the vegetables he was transporting had to be discarded later because they had to be stored in cool temperatures.
“The weather was hot most of the way, so (some of) the vegetables were spoiled.”
Loo Chin Khoong, who transports vegetables from the Cameron Highlands to Singapore three times a week, said he was stuck in a 15-hour traffic jam when he tried to enter Singapore on Wednesday.
“I arrived at Woodlands Causeway around 3am on Wednesday morning, hoping to avoid the traffic jam. However, I only cleared at 6pm,” Sun Yee Chong Trading employee said.
File photo of Mr. Loo Chin Khoong loading vegetables into his truck. (Photo: Amir Yusof)
“It felt like crazy. The traffic was paralyzed and we couldn’t go anywhere,” Mr. Loo said.
Similarly, Mr. Loo said that some of his vegetables were no longer fresh when he delivered them to wholesalers.
“I worry about my next trip and my schedule. If this continues, I will be constantly traveling and have no time to rest,” added Mr. Loo.
In response to CNA inquiries, a spokesperson for NTUC FairPrice said there have been delays in deliveries from across the Causeway, but not a significant disruption to their supplies.
The spokesperson said: “While Malaysia is a major source of food, it accounts for less than a third of our total vegetable supply. We continue to build and grow this portfolio of diversified sources to ensure a stable source of affordable food for our customers. “.
READ: Comment: Frustrated With Tighter COVID-19 Restrictions, Johor Residents Hope This MCO Is Their Last
Additionally, poultry importers Mr Toh and Ms Wu said the situation had improved on Friday morning at both Woodlands Causeway and Tuas Second Link.
Toh said: “So far, there are no shipping problems today, but we don’t know (what will happen) in the next few days … We will have to monitor closely.”
Ms. Wu said that the Poultry Traders Association will continue to import live chickens in the same volume.
“We are confident that the situation in La Calzada will improve and shipments will return to normal,” he added.
HIGH FREIGHT VOLUME, “IT TECHNICAL PROBLEMS” TO BLAME FOR LONG WAIT: AUTHORITIES
In a joint statement, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MTI) and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said they are aware of reports of severe congestion experienced by Cargo drivers at the Tuas Control Post on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Our agencies have been in very close contact with the affected companies,” authorities said.
“The delays were due to a combination of factors. Cargo volume has returned to pre-COVID levels and with the continued closure of Malaysia’s Bangunan Sultan Iskandar from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am, as well as next year. Nuevo Lunar, the total cargo volume is now more concentrated at certain times of the day, which generates an accumulation of traffic. “
Authorities also said that the COVID-19 testing service provider at the Tuas checkpoint found “IT technical problems” on Wednesday.
“As a result, they had to resort to manual verification of ART (rapid antigen test) results, which increased the approval time,” authorities said.
Since then, the problem has been corrected and authorities said they have taken additional measures to speed up the flow of traffic there.
On the issue of delays in the shipment of live poultry, ICA-MTI-SFA said they are closely monitoring the situation, adding that “Since then, delivery times have improved significantly with minimal delays” on Friday.
“We will continue to work closely with checkpoint users to make the authorization process as smooth as possible. With the expected continued increase in volume in the coming weeks, we seek the understanding of businesses and users to expect delays and plan your trip in advance. “
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