The Yuen Po Street Bird Garden will reopen July 5 after an 18-day testing and observation period. The Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department will also enforce a new set of licensing conditions for pet bird traders.

The department's Assistant Director Dr Thomas Sit said the new conditions, effective from today, regulate pet bird trading both in and outside the Mong Kok landmark, ensuring that all birds kept in the licensed premises are from approved sources.

None of the 330 swab samples taken from the garden since June 17 were H5N1 positive. During the closure all birds in the shops were closely observed. The department is satisfied with their health and the garden's sanitation.

All shops and the Leisure & Cultural Services and Food & Environmental Hygiene Departments jointly held the garden's first monthly cleaning day today. A Hong Kong-wide survey of pet bird shops has been conducted, recording all stocks and checking sources.

New licensing conditions

From now pet birds in any licensed premises are either legally imported from known sources with valid health certificates, or acquired from other licensed traders with supportive documentation, such as invoices and sale receipts detailing the species, quantity, transaction date and sources.

Traders must produce these documents to Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department officers for inspection when requested. Traders are also required to keep an up-to-date detailed record of bird transactions in a prescribed account format with dates, entries of new stocks, sales and bird movement to show the balance of the bird stock in the register at any one time.

"In case birds are expected to be hatched from eggs being laid by birds in the shop, the licensee must report to us before hatching occurs and seek the department's consent before the birds are to be put on sale." Dr Sit said.

Under the new conditions, trading in birds from clients for display and sale on behalf of the clients or any people other than licensed animal traders is prohibited.

The department will continue to monitor the garden closely and ensure the new licensing conditions are strictly followed. It was closed June 17 after the H5N1 virus was detected in a faecal sample taken from a durian starling kept in a shop there.