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立法会 Legislative Council LC Paper No.

CB(2)606/14-15(02) Ref : CB2/PL/FE Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene Information note prepared by the Legislative Council Secretariat for the meeting on

13 January

2015 Arrangements for separating imported live poultry from local live poultry When the Panel on Food Safety and Environment Hygiene ( the Panel ) received an update from the Administration on the prevention and control of avian influenza ( AI ) at its special meeting on

29 January 2014, members urged the Administration to consider separating the supply chain of local live poultry from those imported from the Mainland and the trade'

s suggestion that live poultry imported from the Mainland should not be transported to the Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry Market ( the CSW Poultry Market ) until they were confirmed to have no AI viruses infection. The Tai Kwu Ling Checkpoint 2. At the Panel meeting on

11 March 2014, members were advised by the Administration that it had been looking for appropriate sites for the temporary holding of imported live poultry until the testing results were available, before delivering them to the CSW Poultry Market. Members were also advised that the Administration was considering other alternative arrangements, among which was the proposed establishment of a check-point at the Government farm in Ta Kwu Ling ( the Ta Kwu Ling Checkpoint ). As such, the Administration would follow the existing practice of allowing the delivery of imported live poultry to the CSW Poultry Market while testing results were pending. In the event of an AI incident which led to the closure of the CSW Poultry Market, during the closure period, local poultry could be delivered to the retail outlets via the proposed Ta Kwu Ling Checkpoint. 3. When examining the Estimates of Expenditure 2014-2015 at the seventh special meeting of the Finance Committee on

4 April 2014, Members were advised by the Secretary for Food and Health ( SFH ) that after evaluating various options, the Administration was focusing on the preparation and -

2 - construction works of the proposed Ta Kwu Ling Checkpoint, which was expected to come into operation by the end of June 2014. In reply to Members'

written questions during the examination of the Estimates of Expenditure 2014-2015, the Administration advised that the cost estimate of the Ta Kwu Ling Checkpoint project was not available yet. Latest development 4. On

31 December 2014, the Administration announced that a number of samples from a consignment of imported live chickens were positive in H7 Polymerase Chain Reaction ( PCR ) test, and the CSW Poultry Market would be closed for

21 days, during which the supply of live poultry from the Mainland would be suspended. According to the Administration'

s initial plan, upon confirming that all local chicken farms were not affected by AI, local chickens could be dispatched to retail points via the Ta Kwu Ling Checkpoint during the 21-day closure of the CSW Poultry Market. 5. According to the press release issued by the Administration on

3 January 2015, it had been negotiating with local live poultry trade regarding the logistic arrangement at the Ta Kwu Ling Checkpoint. The press releases issued by the Administration are in Appendix I. 6. On

11 January 2015, some

3 200 local live chickens were delivered to retail points via the Ta Kwu Ling Checkpoint. Media reports on the development of the incident (including views expressed by the trade and villagers in the vicinity of the Ta Kwu Ling Checkpoint) are in Appendix II. Council Business Division