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A spokesman for the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau said today (April 6) that the Administration understood the concerns raised by the North District councillors and residents on the proposed Sheung Shui poultry slaughtering plant.
But he reiterated that putting together poultry slaughtering activities in a slaughtering plant would help achieve the policy objective of separating live poultry from humans as a means to reduce avian influenza risk.
"The Government has taken into account various factors when identifying a site for building the poultry slaughtering plant. The proposed site now is close to the boundary and local poultry farms, which can shorten the route for transporting live chickens.
"Besides, basic infrastructure such as water and electricity supply and sewage network is readily available (the proposed site is adjacent to the sewage treatment works in Shek Wu Hui). These facilities can be used within a short time which can allow the slaughtering plant to operate as soon as possible," the spokesman said.
Turning to the impact on the traffic in the vicinity, the spokesman said as it was initially estimated that there would not be too many vehicles going to the plant, it was believed that the plant would not pose a significant impact on the traffic flow. Nevertheless, the Government would conduct a traffic impact assessment study over the proposed project.
The Government would also conduct a statutory environmental impact assessment study and request the operator of the slaughtering plant to adopt design and measures that would effectively control the impact on the environment and reduce possible nuisance.
To minimsie the nuisance caused to the nearby residents, the proposed slaughtering plant was expected to adopt enclosed design and install appropriate facilities for sewage treatment and discharge, air sterilization and deodorisation, as well as noise insulation and silencing, the spokesman added.
"We noted that the district councillors and residents were worried about the risk in case of an avian influenza outbreak. In fact, comparing to the slaughtering method currently used in wet markets, putting together poultry slaughtering activities in a slaughtering plant could better reduce the risk of an avian influenza outbreak.
"Moreover, samples would be taken from chickens for testing at farms and the boundary before the chickens were sent to the slaughtering plant as a means to ensure the health and safety of the chickens. Since the chickens to be slaughtered would not be stocked up for a long time at the plant, the chance of spreading virus would be much lowered. Therefore, there was no need for the public to worry in this aspect," the spokesman said.
The spokesman added that the Government would continue to maintain close contacts with the North District Council and the relevant rural committee on the proposal in a bid to gauge views from various parties during the planning process.
Ends/Thursday, April 6, 2006
Issued at HKT 19:57
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