A chicken farm licence holder with the title Datuk has been fined RM50,000 by the Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to two charges of allowing flies to breed at two poultry farms in Kerian, Perak.
Magistrate Salwa Asmary Abdul Rahim imposed a fine of RM25,000 for each charge on Datuk Siah Gim Eng, 67.
Under the first charge, Siah was accused of allowing fly breeding at a poultry farm in Gunung Semanggol on July 16. The second charge involved a similar offence at another farm along Jalan Changkat Lobak on the same date.
Both charges were brought under Section 17(1) of the Poultry Farming (Amendment) Enactment 2023 and punishable under Section 17(2) of the same enactment.
The law provides for a maximum fine of RM50,000, imprisonment of up to three years, or both for each offence.
According to the case facts, an inspection by a team from the Perak Veterinary Services Department at the first farm found a fly infestation rate of 27.6, exceeding the department’s permitted limit of 14.
The farm was found to be housing approximately 88,000 broiler chickens, aged around 30 days, across 14 open-sided poultry sheds.
At the second farm, inspectors recorded a fly infestation rate of 23.2. The premises housed approximately 190,000 broiler chickens, aged around 28 days, in 14 open-sided sheds.
Three larval samples were collected from each farm and sent to the Veterinary Research Institute in Ipoh for analysis. Laboratory results confirmed that the samples belonged to the Muscidae family, commonly known as house flies or stable flies.
Perak Veterinary Services Department prosecuting officer Roziman Awang Tahrin sought a stiff penalty, citing the circumstances of the offences and the defendant’s previous enforcement history.
The prosecution told the court that Siah had previously been issued two compounds totalling RM15,000 for fly-breeding offences at the respective locations, and both compounds had been paid.
It argued that a firm sentence was necessary to deter further offences, prevent a recurrence and safeguard public health and environmental cleanliness.
Siah paid the fines imposed for both charges.
