Bird ban: Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food Dr York Chow says: "Given the public health concerns, we are drafting legislation to ban household poultry keeping. Such stringent measures are well justified."

Household poultry-keeping is set to be banned to reduce the risk of a bird flu outbreak in Hong Kong, Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food Dr York Chow says.

The move comes in the wake of the identification of the H5N1 virus in a smuggled chicken kept at a domestic household, and increasing incidents of avian influenza outbreaks on the Mainland and elsewhere.

"Given the public health concerns, we are drafting legislation to ban household poultry keeping. Such stringent measures are well justified," Dr Chow said.

Under the legislative amendment, the existing exemption for households keeping up to 20 poultry will be removed. The unauthorised keeping of poultry will be an offence warranting fines of up to $100,000.

Dr Chow urged the public to surrender their backyard poultry to the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department to protect their own and public health. Those who want to keep birds before the new legislation comes into effect must have them vaccinated against avian flu.

The Customs & Excise Department has stepped up patrols at the boundary to prevent the inflow of smuggled chickens.

The separation of chickens and humans must be enforced and the Government has to consider whether it is necessary to set a date for the central slaughtering, Dr Chow added.