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Team Clean will hold a public consultation on the sale of live poultry in December, and aim to make a final decision in 2004.
In its final report on measures to improve environmental hygiene in Hong Kong, the team pointed out that there is an urgent need to reduce contact between humans and poultry in order to minimise the risk of an outbreak of avian influenza.
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| Enhancing hygiene: To further improve community hygiene, Team Clean proposes to hold a consultation on the sale of live poultry, enhance anti-mosquito measures and improve food premises cleanliness. | |
Four broad options have been identified for public consultation, they include:
* a complete ban on the retailing and rearing of live poultry;
* a ban on the retailing of live poultry, but the sale of chilled or frozen poultry;
* a ban on the retailing of live poultry, but the sale of 'warm' slaughtered poultry; and,
* the segregation of poultry from customers at the retail level.
The team stressed that it is necessary to balance public health needs with those of people involved in the live poultry trade.
On the import and sale of wild-animal meat, the team said more scientific research is needed on the health risks posed by live wild animals and their meat.
The Government will continue to monitor such research and has no intention of relaxing the current restrictions on the importation of live civet cats.
Cleansing day becomes compulsory for market stalls
Turning to the cleanliness of public markets, the team proposed to impose a tenancy condition that market stalls be cleaned on a particular day of each month.
Failure to comply will be regarded as a breach of tenancy condition. The first cleansing day is expected to be held in November.
The enforcement regime for market tenants will be streamlined, and there will be a more rigorous enforcement of legislation and tenancy conditions. A demerit points system will be introduced.
Market tenants who accumulate a certain number of points within a 12-month period will have their tenancy terminated. Tenants whose tenancies have been revoked will also be prevented from bidding for others stalls for one year.
Tougher measures to enhance food premises cleanliness
To enhance the hygiene of licensed food premises, the team proposed to widely publicise repeat offenders by publishing in local newspapers and other avenues the names and photographs of convicted restaurants or shops.
The Government will offer an incentive scheme to help restaurant and food shop owners refurbish their kitchens and toilets and install other facilities such as food storage cabinets or dishwashing machines.
To recognise high standards, and to help consumers make informed choices, we will bring forward the introduction of the Open Categorisation Scheme to July and publish hygiene grades from January 2005.
The team also proposed a number of measures to address the problems with the current licensing and regulatory regime for food premises. They include:
* tightening licensing requirements for food factories;
* refusal to issue a new licence or allow a licence transfer until all unauthorised building works have been removed from a premises;
* cancellation of a provisional licence for non-compliance of requirements relating to sanitary hardware; and,
* making licensees responsible (under the Demerit Points System) for hygiene breaches committed by their staff.
The team also made a number of recommendations on solving the problems of water seepage, excessive rubbish, unhygienic worksites and smelly village toilets.
Joint office to be set up to tackle water seepage
It proposed to set up a joint office between the Buildings Department and Food & Environmental Hygiene Department to tackle the water seepage problem, with the investigation work to be outsourced to private surveyors to provide a more effective and efficient service.
The Government will strengthen control measures to ensure construction site cleanliness and the elimination of mosquito breeding sites. Poor performance or non-compliance will be recorded in a contractor's performance record.
Contractors who repeatedly commit public health offences will be prevented from bidding for government contracts for a specified time.
Conviction records will also be taken into consideration for tender assessment purposes.
To improve public hygiene, the Government will also accelerate the conversion of about 100 high-use aqua privies to flushing toilets with proper hand-washing facilities starting from next financial year.
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