Press Releases
SFH starts Beijing visit (with photos)
The Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, today (August 17) started her visit programme in Beijing. She first met with officials of the State General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), then met with officials of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and the Ministry of Commerce, with a view to fostering closer co-operation between the Food and Health Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and these Central Government organisations.
Professor Chan met with the Vice Minister of the AQSIQ, Mr Li Yuanping, in the morning and the Vice Minister of Agriculture, Mr Qu Dongyu, in the afternoon to exchange views on issues of mutual concern. At the meetings, she expressed the wish for early resumption of live poultry supply from the Mainland to Hong Kong.
Professor Chan referred to the application on a trial basis of the new H5-H7 avian influenza (AI) bivalent vaccine in some Mainland farms since last month. She hoped that the new vaccine could be introduced in the registered Mainland farms supplying live poultry to Hong Kong. The HKSAR Government was also making preparation for introducing vaccination against H7 AI virus in Hong Kong farms, on top of the H5 vaccine which has been in use for years.
In the meetings with AQSIQ and MoA, Professor Chan relayed the hope of Hong Kong trade for exporting bird's nest products to the Mainland. Discussions were positive and pragmatic. They both indicated that without compromising the principle of effective AI prevention and control, they would continue to proactively explore with the HKSAR Government the specific arrangements for inspection and quarantine of bird's nest with a view to facilitating the trade between the Mainland and Hong Kong.
They also discussed the arrangement for the transfer of horses between Hong Kong and Conghua, Guangzhou to help take forward the quarantine-free transportation of local racehorses by vehicle between Hong Kong and the Equine Disease-free Zone in Conghua, Guangzhou in the future.
Professor Chan then called on the Director-General of the Department of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs of the Ministry of Commerce, Mr Sun Tong. They exchanged views on the supply of food to Hong Kong from the Mainland and agreed to continue to maintain close contact with a view to ensuring steadiness in supply and safety of food products from the Mainland to Hong Kong.
The Permanent Secretary for Food and Health (Food), Mrs Cherry Tse, and the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation, Dr Leung Siu-fai, also joined the above meetings.
Tomorrow, Professor Chan will attend the "Belt and Road" High Level Meeting for Health Cooperation: Towards a Health Silk Road and pay a courtesy call on the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council.
Ends/Thursday, August 17, 2017
Issued at HKT 21:34
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