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The live chicken imports from the Mainland will be increased from 5,000 to 7,000 chickens per day with effect from November 18, taking into consideration the latest market situation, sales capacity of the retail outlets and the demand from the live poultry trade, as well as balancing the risk of avian influenza, a spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau said today (November 17).
The spokesman said: "The Government will closely monitor the risk of avian influenza. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) will step up the inspection of retail outlets, wholesale market and local poultry farms."
Meanwhile, the Government will tighten biosecurity measures at Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Poultry Wholesale Market to cope with the increase in the number of live chicken imports.
Designated stocking areas will be provided in the wholesale market for keeping live poultry overnight. The AFCD will turn the existing vacant wholesale stalls into live poultry stocking areas with the following biosecurity measures in place:
* the areas will be installed with bird netting to prevent contacts with wild birds;
* chickens and minor poultry will be stocked separately;
* all poultry will be transferred to metal cages each provided with feeding trays and bottom faecal trays;
* imported and local chickens as well as poultry from different wholesalers will be stocked in separate cages clearly marked with labels;
* all the chickens stocked in these areas must be delivered out of the wholesale market no later than 7 am on the following day;
* after all the chickens are cleared by 7 am, disinfection will be conducted between 7 am and 9 am on a daily basis where the areas and cages will be thoroughly cleansed and disinfected before the new batch of poultry to be stocked could be admitted into the areas; and
* tests on avian influenza for the live poultry in these areas will be conducted twice a week.
For the other areas in the wholesale market outside the stocking areas, all chickens must be cleared and the areas must be thoroughly cleansed and disinfected every day.
The spokesman said: "Since the modification works for the stocking areas may take around two months to complete, as a biosecurity enhancement measure during the transitional period, temporary live poultry stocking areas have already been set up for wholesalers to stock live poultry overnight in a bid to facilitate thorough cleansing of their stalls on a daily basis."
Ends/Monday, November 17, 2008
Issued at HKT 21:07
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