Press Releases
Resumption of live poultry import runs smoothly
The Government has reviewed the arrangement for the resumption of live poultry
imports from the Mainland on March 26 and considered it satisfactory. The
wholesale price of chickens since the resumption has remained stable, a
spokesman for the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau said today (March 31).
The spokesman added that the SARG was working jointly with the Mainland
authorities to impose stringent control on the registered poultry farms
supplying chickens to Hong Kong to ensure the safety and quality of the imported
chickens.
"We understand that the Mainland has in the past reduced the number of
registered farms from over 300 to over 100 to more effectively deploy their
resources to ensure farms are avian flu free. Enforcement has been stepped up
and biosecurity measures are maintained to meet with required standards.
The SARG is also maintaining close contact with the relevant Mainland
authorities to review the effectiveness of its work, the spokesman said, noting
that the Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Mrs Carrie Yau, met
with the Director-General of Shenzhen Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine
Bureau, Liu Shengli, yesterday.
Mrs Yau would also meet with the head of the Guangdong Entry-Exit Inspection and
Quarantine Bureau, Zhong Dechang, in mid-April to discuss the arrangement for
live poultry supply to Hong Kong.
The Government would continue to strengthen existing measures, in view of the
fact that Hong Kong was still in the peak influenza season and human infection
cases of H5N1 were found on the Mainland.
These include:
* Live poultry must come from registered farms that are subject to inspection by
both Mainland officials and staff of the Food and Environmental Hygiene
Department (FEHD);
* All live poultry must be quarantined for five days before export to Hong Kong;
* The Government will take samples for laboratory tests from the live poultry
imported to Hong Kong at Man Kam To Control Point and continue to send FEHD
staff to visit registered poultry farms on the Mainland;
* The Government will also take samples for testing at wholesale and retail
markets.
The spokesman, however, said as the H5N1 virus might be carried by migratory
birds or wild birds in the natural environment, there should be no surprise if
there were additional cases.
"All parties responsible for gatekeeping work remain vigilant to ensure existing
mechanisms to prevent avian flu are in place. We would continue to implement
measures to realise the objective of separating humans from poultry and to
ensure that all the poultry supplied by the registered farms on the Mainland are
safe for consumption," the spokesman said.
Ends/Friday, March 31, 2006
Issued at HKT 18:20
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