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The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has reminded poultry retailers and the public that the next Rest Day falls on Tuesday (February 20).
A department spokesman said that the second Rest Day of the month usually took place on the 25th day, but it was advanced to February 20 (the third day of the Lunar New Year) so that cleaning can be done immediately after the festive days to reduce the risk of avian influenza.
He said on the Rest Day, operators of market stalls and fresh provision shops selling live poultry had to suspend business to carry out thorough cleaning and disinfection.
The spokesman urged all poultry retailers to strictly observe Rest Day conditions and ensure that all live poultry remaining in their stalls or shops were slaughtered before the Rest Day.
"We remind stall owners and licensees that they must not remove any unsold live poultry from their premises to avoid slaughtering them before the start of the Rest Day.
"Our staff will inspect the poultry outlets on the Rest Day. Failure to comply with the Rest Day conditions will lead to immediate cancellation of fresh provision shop licences or termination of market stall tenancies," he said.
Ends/Thursday, February 15, 2007
Issued at HKT 12:19
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