The Malaysian Veterinary Association (Mavma) stated that the Malaysia-US Regional Agreement on Animal Health Regulation (ART) could limit Malaysia’s regulation of US imports, thereby undermining the credibility of veterinary services and consumer confidence. The veterinary organization expressed serious concerns about US pressure to regionalize management, given the frequent cross-contamination of various animal diseases.
Kuala Lumpur, November 25 – The Malaysian Veterinary Association (Mavma) said the new trade agreement between Malaysia and the US could weaken controls on food safety, biosecurity and halal standards.
Dr. Chia Liang Wen, president of the Malaysian Food Manufacturers Association, told CodeBlue that the Malaysia-US Reciprocal Trade Agreement (ART) requires automatic recognition of the US food safety system, which could limit Malaysia’s ability to conduct its own inspections.
In a statement, Dr. Chee said: “The automatic identification of the US food safety system and maximum residue levels (MRLs) may reduce Malaysia’s ability to apply its own risk assessments.”
He said the Malaysian Veterinary Services Department (DVS) should retain the authority to conduct “independent verification and equivalence assessment” to ensure that imported products continue to meet national security and public health requirements.
Dr Chee said that while the Malaysian Veterinary Association supports science-based international trade that contributes to overall economic growth, Malaysia’s veterinary sovereignty “must remain supreme” in the implementation of the agreement.
”Mavma believes that automated identification without sufficient security measures could damage veterinary oversight and consumer confidence,” he said.
Previously, government agencies, including the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM), remained silent on how the trade agreement would be implemented regarding imports of animal products. In response, MAVMA stated that while it supports international trade, implementation of the agreement should not weaken national oversight.
Under the Anti-Import Regulations, Malaysia must accept the US food safety, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) system for meat, poultry, dairy products and certain agricultural products, streamline import procedures by accepting the US Federal Inspection List, and limit additional permit requirements.
The agreement also obliges Malaysia to impose regional restrictions during outbreaks of animal diseases such as African swine fever (ASF) and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), instead of nationwide bans.
American agricultural groups publicly welcomed the agreement, calling it an “unprecedented opportunity” to enter the Malaysian market. The United States Meat Export Federation (USMEF) stated that Malaysia’s agreement to accept the US federal inspection catalog instead of local facility approvals from the Malaysian Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) is expected to generate $50-60 million in annual beef exports to the US. USMEF had previously criticized Malaysia’s local facility approval process, calling it “cumbersome” and undermining food safety.
Dr. Chee stated that ART’s request for Malaysia to implement regional measures to combat highly pathogenic avian influenza and African swine fever should be treated with caution. African swine fever remains widespread in some areas of Malaysia, and the country remains heavily dependent on meat imports.
“Given that African swine fever is prevalent in parts of Malaysia and that we rely on imports, strict traceability, disease surveillance and verification of ‘disease-free zones’ are crucial to prevent the unintentional introduction or spread of the disease across borders,” Dr. Xie said.
He added that Malaysia has been recognised as free of highly pathogenic avian influenza by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and its culling policy has successfully controlled the previous five outbreaks, in stark contrast to countries that have adopted vaccination strategies.
He stated: “The same disease eradication policy and national disease-free status should serve as a mutual biosecurity standard for countries exporting products to Malaysia to ensure the integrity of Malaysia’s HPAI-free status.”
Dr. Chi also noted that “the US’s forced adoption of regionalization is a serious concern,” citing frequent cases of infection spreading between species of birds, cattle, cats, and pigs reported by officials in various US states.
He said: “These incidents highlight the risk of potential variant strains entering Southeast Asia, possibly via Malaysia, while other ASEAN countries are still struggling to cope with existing highly pathogenic avian influenza strains.”
Mavma also expressed concern about halal certification under the agreement. Dr. Chee stated that any accreditation of an American halal certification body by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) “should not bypass Malaysia’s religious and veterinary verification mechanisms.”
He stated that halal certification encompasses animal welfare, adherence to principles of fair slaughter, and food hygiene, which he described as the core responsibilities of veterinarians. He also noted that the Malaysian halal system “has earned the global trust of other Muslim countries.”
Dr Chee said Malaysian authorities should retain the right to conduct on-site inspections of foreign companies, strengthen import risk analysis and border controls, and ensure public transparency on food safety and halal standards.
MAVMA also recommended that DVS and relevant ministries establish a joint technical group to assess the equivalence of maximum residue limits, testing systems and disease zoning schemes.
”Public confidence in Malaysia’s food safety and veterinary systems depends on transparency and continued leadership from Malaysian authorities,” Dr. Chia said.
Post time: Nov-25-2025