Press Releases
SFH visits Guangdong (With photos)
The Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, visited Guangdong today (August
14) to learn more about the transportation process, inspection and quarantine
measures of the food supplied to Hong Kong.
Accompanied by the Director General of the Department of Animal and Plant
Quarantine of the State General Administration of Quality Supervision,
Inspection and Quarantine, Mr Yu Taiwei; the Director and Deputy Director of
Guangdong Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau (GDCIQ), Mr Zhong Dechang
and Mr Huang Weiming, Dr Chow first visited the processing and distribution
centre for agricultural products supplying Hong Kong and Macao located in
Chencun town, Shunde of Foshan.
He saw the enclosed stainless steel containers and liquid oxygen cooling devices
for transporting live aquatic products to Hong Kong, and he knew better the
relevant inspection and quarantine procedures.
Dr Chow noted that GDCIQ selected Shunde to implement a pilot scheme of
exercising source control and applying inspection and quarantine seals to the
means of transport for aquatic products supplied to Hong Kong to avoid
contamination during the transportation process. The use of enclosed stainless
steel containers could transport more live fish to Hong Kong without costing
extra.
Speaking to the media in Shunde, Dr Chow said the use of these facilities would
enhance food safety protection and was good news to Hong Kong people.
Since the implementation of the arrangement to transport live fish to Hong Kong
in sealed containers on May 1, 2007, fish farms in Guangdong have transported
1,010 tonnes of live freshwater fish in 101 batches to Hong Kong via Man Kam To.
Dr Chow also talked about the "Agreement on the application of inspection and
quarantine seals to the means of transport for freshwater fish supplied to Hong
Kong" which was signed at the 10th Plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong
Co-operation Joint Conference in early August.
"To step up the monitoring of freshwater fish supplying to Hong Kong, Guangdong
will implement a system of applying inspection and quarantine seals to the means
of transport for freshwater fish supplied to Hong Kong in mid-August. Seals will
be applied to vehicles and vessels carrying freshwater fish supplied to Hong
Kong.
"The new arrangement will effectively enhance the management of transportation
process for food supplied to Hong Kong. It will prevent illegal mixing of other
fishes from entering Hong Kong market. This can safeguard the quality of
freshwater fish supplied to Hong Kong and enhance the safety protection of the
food supplying to Hong Kong from Guangdong", he said.
In the afternoon, Dr Chow visited a poultry processing plant in Huizhou to
understand its operation and production, as well as the export requirements for
chilled chickens supplying Hong Kong.
He also called on the Huizhou Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau to
learn more about their work.
In addition, GDCIQ agreed with Dr Chow's suggestion for the Guangdong bureau to
hold a seminar for Hong Kong pig farmers who planned to run pig farms in
Guangdong to let them understand more about the necessary requirement for
becoming registered farms for supplying live pigs to Hong Kong.
Accompanying Dr Chow to visit Guangdong were the Director of Food and
Environmental Hygiene, Mr Eddy Chan and acting Controller of Centre for Food
Safety, Dr Constance Chan.
Ends/Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Issued at HKT 20:24
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