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(c) On Hong Kong side, 3 premises have been found to be habitually used by various persons for pig roasting without any licence. The operators of these businesses have been prosecuted from time to time and prosecutions will continue to be made for so long as they remain in operation as early as 1977.
(d) Unlicensed food premises do not normally meet structural and fire safety standards and hygienic requirements and the business activities carried on are not subject to regular inspections by the health staff. For this reason, products from unlicensed pig roasting establishments pose a risk to public health.
(e) The reason for instituting prosecutions against operators of unlicensed pig roasting factories is that they are contravening the law. During the 6-month period from March to August 1983, 20 prosecutions have been taken out against the 4 unlicensed establishments (3 in Hong Kong and 1 in Kowloon).
(f) Licensees of licensed siu mei and lo mei shops would run the risk of suspension or cancellation of their respective licences if they were found selling roast pork which is obtained from unlicensed food factories.
(g) I am afraid there is no alternative but to take legal action against the offenders who persist in operating unlicensed pig roasting factories. However, should any of the operators wish to set up a legitimate business, the Licensing Section of the department would be pleased to explain to the applicant the licensing procedure and the licensing requirements prerequisite to the issue of a licence.
MR. JOSEPH CHAN (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, we all know that by pig roasting, there is roasting of large pigs and suckling pigs, and furnace for roasting of large pigs could not be used for suckling pigs. So could I ask of the 15 licensed food factories dealing in pig roasting, how many are licensed to provide roasting of large pigs in Hong Kong and how many in Kowloon?
MISS MARIA TAM (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, sorry, I do not have the information as requested by Mr. CHAN. However, I will check up and give the figure to Mr. CHAN.
MR. JOSEPH CHAN (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, I have a further question. It is stated here that there are four unlicensed roast pig factories in the urban area. Could I also know the supply figure? How many roast pigs are being provided to the general public by the licensed premises and how many by the unlicensed premises every day? I am sure this figure will become available because from abattoirs we can have records of the number of pigs being slaughtered every day. Where are these pigs being roasted? Apart from those being roasted in the licensed factories, the remaining must be roasted in the unlicensed factories.
MISS MARIA TAM (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, the purpose of the original question was to ask how we could control or prosecute unlicensed roast pig factories. I believe the figures requested by Mr. CHAN surely exist. However, the nature of the original question was not on the type of pigs being roasted in this place or that place, or how many pigs have been roasted in licensed factories. Under these circumstances, I would like to make an investigation on this and give the most accurate figure to Mr. CHAN. If there are any questions on legal control, licensing procedure, etc. as raised in the main question, I would be happy to answer them.
MR. TONG KAM-BIU (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, I have a question. Here, it is stated that a number of licensed general restaurants are allowed to roast pigs in their own premises. As to the licensed siu mei and lo mei shops, could they find somewhere to roast pigs and sell them?
MISS MARIA TAM (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, the licensee must roast pigs in the premises stipulated in the licence. If the licensee roasts pigs in other premises, he must ask the staff of U.S.D. to see whether a licence could be issued to him to roast in other premises.
MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, from the answer provided by Miss TAM, we can see that in Hong Kong there must be some shops which are selling roast pork from unlicensed premises, therefore, I would like Miss TAM to clarify this point, i.e. if licensed siu mei and lo mei shops sell roast pig and roast meat provided by unlicensed food factories, they would be prosecuted, but how then could we find out the source of supply, whether they are from unlicensed premises? Have we ever taken any prosecution against these licensed siu mei and lo mei shops?
MISS MARIA TAM (in Cantonese): Well, to answer the first question, it is the problem of evidence. If the roast pork is sold in unlicensed premises, then the roast pork is usually conducted by a van or a truck to the siu mei and lo mei shop. During the journey, if we find out the source of supply of the roast pork, then of course, we can prosecute it. However, if the roast pork is found in the premises of the licensed siu mei and lo mei shop, then it would depend on whether the operator of the shop is willing to tell us the source of supply. If he is willing to tell us, then of course, we can trace it back to the supplier. But if not, then we can do nothing. As to whether we have carried out any prosecution, I am sure we must have.
Mr. Chan Chi-KWAN (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, we all know that a lot of pigs are sold in the streets either by hawkers or by siu mei and lo mei shops, and they usually come from the unlicensed roast pig factories. I believe recently, Members must have received a letter from the roast pig factory operators in the Southern District, saying that they feel that all of a sudden, the number of prosecutions have jumped and this has meant difficulties for their livelihood. Therefore, they have brought this matter to our attention and for our discussion. If we want to take care of the health of our residents, should we not try to assist these
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