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Agreement has been reached with the relevant Mainland authority to increase the daily supply of imported live chickens from the Mainland to 35,000 from the week beginning August 16 and continuing until September 30.

"As the Mainland authority has recently declared that Anhui Province is no longer regarded as an avian influenza infected area, and in view of the time needed to build up supply from our local farms, the daily import of live chickens is increased as a temporary measure to ensure the supply of live chickens in Hong Kong from now until the end of the Mid-Autumn Festival period," a Health, Welfare and Food Bureau spokesman said today (August 11).

The spokesman added appropriate precautionary measures would be taken to ensure public health would not be compromised despite the increase in the number of live chickens in the markets.

"After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the daily number of imported live chickens from the Mainland will be scaled back to 30,000 on October 1, 2004," the spokesman said.

Ends/Wednesday, August 11, 2004

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