Malaysia is tightening controls on poultry farming, enforcing licensing on all breeders and mulling a ban on market slaughtering to prevent bird flu outbreaks, a report said today.

Agriculture Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said licensing all poultry breeders would help the government keep track of farmers and stock.

"Licensing will allow us to to register them and keep a record of the number of birds, their location and their breeders. That way, if an outbreak occurs, we can trace and monitor them effectively," Muhyiddin was quoted as saying in the New Straits Times.

"Licensing will also ensure that they follow hygiene and other conditions when rearing birds," he said.

The minister also said the government was considering a ban on the slaughter of poultry in wet markets after reports the deadly H5N1 virus spread in markets in China and Hong Kong where slaughtering took place.

"The ministry is in favour of halting the practice as soon as possible, but the authorities must assess whether it should be a permanent ban, or a temporary ban," Muhyiddin said.

Complete overhaul

Wet markets, where live animals are kept amidst other produce, are common in Asian countries.

Bodies such as the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation have called for a complete overhaul of Asia's poultry sector, including a clean-up of wet markets, to prevent disease outbreaks.

"It is very unpleasant because of the dirt, blood and feathers. Traders have been doing this and taking it as normal practice because the authorities have not stopped them," said Muhyiddin.

"Now we are concerned that if this continues, it will be easy for the virus to spread should it reach Malaysia."

Malaysia has ramped up health and security measures to prevent any outbreaks of the avian flu virus in the country, including drafting a contingency plan.

The country has had two scares in recent days after dead pigeons were found in two states, although authorities later ruled out the bird flu virus.

Malaysia had an outbreak of the virus in poultry in northern Kelantan state in 2004 but stamped it out and has been disease-free since.

Bird flu has killed more than 60 people in Southeast Asia since 2003, most of them in Vietnam.