Secretary for Food & Health Dr Ko Wing-man says the Government is trying to identify sites where it can separate imported poultry from local ones, and hold them while their avian influenza tests are analysed.
Speaking to reporters today, Dr Ko said: "There is wide-spread opinion that we should identify a means to separate the imported poultry from the local poultry before the testing results for avian influenza are available. We are trying to identify places where we can hold the imported poultry temporarily before the testing results are available."
The Government has suspended Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry Market’s operation because a specimen from a batch of imported poultry from the Mainland tested positive for the H7 avian influenza virus. He said this led to the market's closure for three weeks, causing financial hardship for poultry workers, and interrupting the live chicken supply.
Dr Ko said he has strong reservations about the possibility of a self-sustained local live poultry supply in Hong Kong.
"Although we have introduced various infection control measures against avian influenza, there is no guarantee of zero risk," he said.
