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The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (September 11) prosecuted a fresh provision shop licensee for breaching the ban on keeping live poultry at retail outlets overnight.
FEHD officers, during an inspection last Friday (September 5) at dawn, found four live chickens covered by two bamboo baskets inside the scalding room of a fresh provision shop on the ground floor, No.18 Reclamation Street, Yau Ma Tei.
The licensee of the fresh provision shop was therefore suspected of breaching the Food Business (Amendment) Regulation 2008, which bans the stocking of live poultry at retail outlets overnight.
"To protect public health and further reduce the risk posed by avian influenza, the Government amended legislation earlier to require operators of live poultry market stalls and fresh provision shops to slaughter all live poultry remaining at their premises before 8 pm each day," an FEHD spokesman said.
"They have to ensure that there is no live poultry at their premises between 8 pm each day and 5 am the next day."
Ends/Thursday, September 11, 2008
Issued at HKT 19:33
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