A duck farm in Perak has been declared free of bird flu following tests after one of its birds imported by Singapore was found to have a low-risk strain of the virus, a top official said today.

"We carried out tests on ducks in the farm. We could not detect anything," Hawari Hussein, director-general of the veterinary services department, told

The tests were carried out Wednesday after neighbouring Singapore decided to ban live duck imports from the farm in Malaysia's northern Perak state.

Singapore's food regulatory organisation said Tuesday that a duck imported from the farm in Malaysia had been detected with bird flu, although it was a low-risk strain.

Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority said it had decided to take action because of regional concerns over the avian influenza outbreak that hit Asia this year, killing 24 people and leading to the deaths or culling of almost 200 million birds.

Hawari said Singapore had yet to lift the suspension, which was imposed Monday, adding that Malaysia continued to be free from bird flu.