Press Releases
SFH on central slaughtering and human swine flu vaccine
Following is a transcript (English portion) of the remarks by the Secretary
for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, at a media stand-up session in the
Legislative Council Building today (March 24):
Reporter: When will the consultancy study on the poultry slaughtering plant
be finished? Are you still going ahead with it?
Secretary for Food and Health: It all depends on the finding of the
consultancy study. The reason we are doing this is since 2008, our retail
and farm capacity has decreased. The supply of live chickens to Hong Kong
has decreased from 60,000 a day to now 14,000 a day. With that amount of
supply, we have to really gauge whether there is still an economic viability
for a central slaughtering plant. That is the reason why we have to do an
analysis of such a viability and to gauge the acceptance of the public and
consumers regarding centrally-slaughtered chickens, whether they will be
willing to pay certain prices for such a supply. With that, we will be able
to decide on a second stage whether we will go ahead or perhaps put this
aside.
Reporter: Is avian flu still a threat?
Secretary for Food and Health: At the same time, we will be doing an
analysis of the risk of avian flu in our markets and farms, and the region
in general. We will be monitoring the endemic H9 virus in the chickens to
see whether our current policy of clearing all the chickens at the retail
level (every day) and to ensure the stay of chickens in the wholesale market
will not exceed a day is going to help. So with that scientific finding, we
will be able to decide on the second stage.
Reporter: The take up rate of the swine flu vaccine is very low. Would you
consider expanding the free flu vaccination programme to primary, secondary
and university students?
Secretary for Food and Health: According to the experts, there are special
indications for the so-called at-risk groups to receive vaccine. For the non
at-risk groups, they can decide in their own interest whether to have the
vaccine. I don't think offering vaccine free to people will be appropriate.
(Please also refer to the
Chinese portion of the transcript)
Ends/Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Issued at HKT 15:11
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