Press Releases
Live chicken imports from Mainland to be increased
The live chicken imports from the Mainland will be increased from 5,000 to 7,000
chickens per day with effect from November 18, taking into consideration the
latest market situation, sales capacity of the retail outlets and the demand
from the live poultry trade, as well as balancing the risk of avian influenza, a
spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau said today (November 17).
The spokesman said: "The Government will closely monitor the risk of avian
influenza. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Agriculture,
Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) will step up the inspection of
retail outlets, wholesale market and local poultry farms."
Meanwhile, the Government will tighten biosecurity measures at Cheung Sha Wan
Temporary Poultry Wholesale Market to cope with the increase in the number of
live chicken imports.
Designated stocking areas will be provided in the wholesale market for keeping
live poultry overnight. The AFCD will turn the existing vacant wholesale stalls
into live poultry stocking areas with the following biosecurity measures in
place:
* the areas will be installed with bird netting to prevent contacts with wild
birds;
* chickens and minor poultry will be stocked separately;
* all poultry will be transferred to metal cages each provided with feeding
trays and bottom faecal trays;
* imported and local chickens as well as poultry from different wholesalers will
be stocked in separate cages clearly marked with labels;
* all the chickens stocked in these areas must be delivered out of the wholesale
market no later than 7 am on the following day;
* after all the chickens are cleared by 7 am, disinfection will be conducted
between 7 am and 9 am on a daily basis where the areas and cages will be
thoroughly cleansed and disinfected before the new batch of poultry to be
stocked could be admitted into the areas; and
* tests on avian influenza for the live poultry in these areas will be conducted
twice a week.
For the other areas in the wholesale market outside the stocking areas, all
chickens must be cleared and the areas must be thoroughly cleansed and
disinfected every day.
The spokesman said: "Since the modification works for the stocking areas may
take around two months to complete, as a biosecurity enhancement measure during
the transitional period, temporary live poultry stocking areas have already been
set up for wholesalers to stock live poultry overnight in a bid to facilitate
thorough cleansing of their stalls on a daily basis."
Ends/Monday, November 17, 2008
Issued at HKT 21:07
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