Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food Carrie Yau says there is an imminent need to ban household poultry-keeping, adding those keeping commercial racing pigeons in new towns and villages may be exempted.

Speaking on a radio talk show, Mrs Yau pointed out the risk of a bird flu outbreak still exists even as chickens are vaccinated since the virus may mutate. The Government has proposed removing the existing exemption for households keeping up to 20 birds. The unauthorised keeping of poultry will be an offence warranting fines of up to $100,000.

She called on backyard poultry owners to co-operate and surrender their birds to the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department, stressing there will not be any compensation.

As regards racing pigeons, which are raised for commercial purposes, Mrs Yau said keepers in new towns and villages may be excluded from the household poultry-keeping ban. However, those in urban areas will not be exempted.

The department visited 35 villages and 1,500 households in Sha Tau Kok and the North District in the past two days, with 113 chickens collected and another 112 vaccinated.

The department's Acting Assistant Director Thomas Sit said most backyard poultry owners do not implement biosecurity measures to protect their birds. He called on owners to surrender their poultry to reduce the risk of contracting bird flu.