Director of Food & Environmental Hygiene Gregory Leung said the Government is open-minded about whether to ban the sale of live poultry and will consult the trade and the public later this year.

Speaking on RTHK this morning, Mr Leung said as long as there are live poultry, the risk of people contracting avian flu from the birds cannot be eliminated.

Noting that he understands the concerns of the trade, Mr Leung said when considering the way forward, the Government has to strike a balance between the trade's interest and public safety.

He said the four options Team Clean suggested will have different impacts on the trade. The Government will conduct a thorough consultation in December to collect the views of those affected.

Mr Leung said his department is now studying the preservation of "warm" slaughtered poultry, in particular, the freshness of the meat in the hot summer.

He stressed that the present policy that requires the agreement of 85% of stall owners to install air-conditioners in old markets has not been changed.

To improve the conditons of these markets, the department has set aside funding and will carry out improvement works shortly, he added.