Singapore today said it will partially lift a ban on Malaysian poultry imports after being assured its neighbour could keep its southern peninsular states free of bird flu.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority said it will allow poultry and eggs again to be imported from Johor and Malacca from Thursday, partially ending the total suspension put in place on Aug 18.

Singapore instituted the ban after the H5 strain of avian influenza was found on a farm in Kelantan near the Malaysian-Thai border in the north of the country.

"The AVA has inspected and is satisfied that the necessary measures that are needed to maintain Johor and Malacca as a bird-flu free zone have been put in place by the Malaysian authorities," it said in a statement.

"The AVA will thus lift the ban of import of poultry and eggs from Johor and Malacca with effect from Sept 30. This will be for as long as the current bird flu outbreak in Malaysia is contained in Kelantan."

Effective measures

The AVA cited six measures Malaysian authorities had put in place to contain the bird flu outbreak to Kelantan, including police and army checks on birds leaving that state.

Singapore, a small but affluent island-nation with virtually no farm sector, normally imports 120,000 live chickens and 20,000 live ducks daily from Malaysia.

The island-republic of four million people also normally sources two-thirds of its total egg consumption, or two million eggs daily, from Malaysia.