Press Releases
Live chicken import ceiling remains unchanged
A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau said today (September 4) it was
necessary for the Government to maintain the import ceiling for Mainland live
chickens at 20,000 per day.
The spokesman said the measure was meant to avoid an accumulation of live
poultry in the retail and wholesale markets which might increase the risk of an
avian influenza outbreak.
"In the face of the threat posed by avian influenza to Hong Kong and its
neighbouring areas, we have to stay alert in preventing the disease. We believe
the present approach is appropriate which can both protect public health and
meet people's demands for live chickens.
"The Government will continue to monitor the supply of live chickens in Hong
Kong and maintain close liaison with the trade. We will also suitably adjust the
number of imported live chickens from the Mainland for major festive occasions
to meet the stronger demand during those periods," the spokesman said.
To minimise the risk of an avian influenza outbreak in Hong Kong in the
long-run, the spokesman said the Government was actively preparing for the
setting up of a poultry slaughtering and processing plant, including the
drafting of the relevant law and tender document, as well as conducting an
environmental impact assessment study of the project.
"After the plant starts to operate, all local and imported live chickens will be
slaughtered there to achieve the target of minimising the avian influenza risk
by separating humans from chickens.
"Before that, we will not consider reviewing the current import limit for
Mainland live chickens," the spokesman said.
He added that relevant government departments, including the Customs and Excise
Department, the Police, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department
and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, would work closely with their
Mainland counterparts to crack down on illegal import of poultry and birds.
The spokesman called on traders to report any smuggling activities and not to
import poultry and birds that might incur the problem.
"Concerted efforts to safeguard Hong Kong from suffering attack of avian
influenza can help maintain normal operation of the import of live chickens from
the Mainland," the spokesman said.
Ends/Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Issued at HKT 15:25
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