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The Government decided to resume sale of live chickens Wednesday next week (July 2) with the introduction of daily clearance of unsold live chickens at retail outlets.
Meanwhile, the Government would give more time to live poultry traders and chicken farmers to consider the proposed buy-out package which totalled about $1 billion for winding up their business.
Speaking at the press conference today (June 24), the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, said: "We have come up with such a decision after considering views of the parties involved and balancing the risk of avian influenza."
Dr Chow explained: "As we have yet to identify the source of avian influenza virus detected in the four retail markets earlier this month, there is a need for the Government to escalate the preventive and control measures at the retail level before resuming the sale of live chickens. It is meant to protect public health."
The Government would gazette on June 27 to amend the Food Business Regulation (Chapter 132X) to facilitate the implementation of no live chickens stay overnight at retail markets.
The new regulation stipulated that retail markets and fresh provision shops could not retain live chickens from 8 pm to 5 am everyday. Poultry stalls have to cull all the unsold live poultry before 8 pm and then cleanse the stalls. Those who violate the regulation are liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and six-month imprisonment, their licences or tenancies being revoked.
He added that there were about 400,000 chickens which are 85 days or above in the farms since June 11 when retail outlets selling live poultry were declared as infected areas.
"Although these chickens can be dispatched to retail outlets on July 2, their market value would be relatively lower than those of marketable age (84 days). In this case, we will provide a grant for these above marketable age chickens at $30 each to offset the possible difference in prices for local farmers," he said.
Dr Chow stressed that the most effective way of preventing avian influenza infection was the separation of humans from live poultry. The shrinkage of live poultry trade has been projected and the trade's prospect was not bright.
He said: "Traders are well aware of the threat of avian influenza to the trade. In the course of discussions with the trade on ex-gratia payments, many retail traders told us they are inclined to accept our proposal if they were given more time to consider.
"In response to their demand, the Government will give one-month, i.e. before July 24, 2008, to poultry retailers and three-month, i.e. September 24, 2008, to poultry farmers, wholesalers and transporters to arrive at their own decision.
"If the majority (for example, about 90 per cent) of the poultry retailers accept our package to surrender their licences or tenancies, we will allow the entire live poultry trade to choose whether to accept the ex-gratia payment voluntarily. The amount will be three times of the ex-gratia payments for voluntary surrender of live poultry retail licences or tenancies in 2004/05. The total amount involved for the trade is about $1 billion.
"We give more time to live poultry farmers, wholesalers and transporters to take into account the latest development in the retail level before deciding their way forward and making a choice. This will also allow live poultry farmers to dispose the remaining live chickens in their farms through normal business channels.
"The proposed ex-gratia payments for winding up their business are reasonable. The Government must use public money prudently. We will continue the discussions with different sectors of the live poultry trade on the relevant arrangements.
Ends/Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Issued at HKT 20:26
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