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Following is a question by the Hon Lee Cheuk-yan and a reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (April 25):
Question:
It has been reported that staff of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department have, at the government kennels in Sheung Shui, killed with shotguns the pigs surrendered by pig farmers participating in the voluntary surrender scheme for pig farm licences. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the reasons for handling those pigs with the above means;
(b) whether it has assessed if handling those pigs with the above means is in breach of the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance; if it has, of the results of the assessment; and
(c) whether it will consider using other means to handle the pigs surrendered by pig farmers participating in the above scheme?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) Where breeder pigs in pig farms are in excess, it is the responsibility of pig farmers to dispose of the excess pigs at their own expense. Pig farmers who wish to join the Voluntary Surrender Scheme for Pig Farm Licences should make advance plans to gradually phase out their breeder pigs so as to make way for the smooth surrender of the licences. Pig farmers should also send their breeder pigs to slaughterhouse for disposal by way of electrical stunning at their own expense. In cases where some breeder pigs cannot be sent to slaughterhouse for disposal owing to their huge size or for any other reasonable considerations, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) will assist pig farmers in euthanizing these breeder pigs by using internationally accepted methods.
In the veterinary discipline, "euthanasia" is internationally understood as the termination of an animal's life in a manner which causes the least pain to the animal concerned.
Breeder pigs are generally huge in size, with weight reaching up to 300 kg. Some boars are also aggressive. Considering the above, the AFCD has decided to follow international practices and arrange for staff that are trained in firearms to dispose of these breeder pigs with shotguns.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (UNFAO) has not only endorsed the appropriate use of shotguns for euthanizing large animals but has also issued detailed guidelines for the practice. According to the UNFAO guidelines, the appropriate target position for pig is the intersecting point of diagonal lines drawn between its ears and eyes. The bullet will cause instant damage to the brain tissues of the pig, which will render the pig unconscious and dead immediately, thus sparing it of unnecessary suffering. Moreover, the use of firearms in euthanizing pigs is legally recognised in the European Union, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Drug injection is another method for euthanizing pigs. As breeder pigs are huge in size and difficult to immobilise, and that their blood vessels are normally three to five inches deep under the skin and hard to locate, AFCD experts consider the use of drug injection in euthanizing breeder pigs asunsuitable.
(b) The AFCD will ensure that the smallest number of breeder pigs would be euthanized each time. At present, AFCD euthanizes breeder pigs one at a time. As I pointed out earlier, the use of shotguns is an internationally recognised method for euthanizing pigs. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance prohibits any person from ill-treating or terrifying animals, or causing them any unnecessary suffering. Using shotguns to euthanize breeders pigs will render the pigs unconscious and dead immediately, thereby sparing them of unnecessary suffering. The practice is therefore not in violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance.
(c) The AFCD has always encouraged farmers to make use of the breeder pig disposal services provided by slaughterhouses. In fact, since the implementation of the Voluntary Surrender Scheme for Pig Farm Licences, slaughterhouses have assisted pig farmers in disposing 11 700 breeder pigs, which accounted for 85% of the total number of breed pigs disposed. Two thousand pigs have been disposed of by the AFCD.
The Voluntary Surrender Scheme for Pig Farm Licences will be closed for application in May this year. Pig farmers who have joined the Scheme will have to dispose all their breeder pigs before March 2008. According to AFCD records, there are still some 15 000 breeder pigs in local farms. Currently, Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse and Tsuen Wan Slaughterhouse can handle about 7 000 and 2 500 pigs every day respectively. Hence, local slaughterhouses have sufficient capacity to handle the remaining breeder pigs. The Administration expects farmers participating in the Voluntary Surrender Scheme to dispose of all their remaining breeder pigs by March 2008.
Ends/Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Issued at HKT 14:36
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