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markets in Hong Kong viz. Cheung Sha Wan Wholesale Food Market, Western Wholesale Food Market and North District Wholesale Market for Agricultural Products. All three food markets are run by the Agriculture and Fisheries Department (AFD), but they are not provided with testing centres. I think we should suggest to AFD for the setting up of testing centres at each market. It would be better than sampling at the border. Although we can step up sampling work at Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok, vegetables are also imported by sea or air. It would be much more effective to do sampling work at food markets.
The concept of accredited farms is good, but the community should not have the misconception that accredited farms or test labeling will protect them from eating vegetables with pesticide residues. I 400 metric tonnes of vegetables are sold daily in Hong Kong. If several tens of kilograms with pesticide residues get into the market, I would say it is possible and not something any government or organization can guard against. All in all, I support other Members that we should step up education. We should pull our resources on education and find out when poisonous vegetables usually get into the market or how cases come about. The most dangerous season would be when vegetables are expensive and pesticides do not have sufficient time to evaporate before they are cut and sold. From past experiences, the dangerous times are:
(a) After the Mid-autumn Festival at the change of summer and winter;
(b) At the start of the north wind when citizens like to enjoy hot pots. farmers who are afraid vegetables will die of coldness will harvest early and rainfall is scarce at that time;
(c) Before the Chinese New Year and before the summer typhoon season when vegetable farmers harvest early for fear of vegetables being ruined by rain or wind.
The above are the dangerous periods for poisonous vegetables on the market. If we can step up education as well as sampling work at Man Kam To by the Department of Health during such periods, I think the number of cases of poisoning by vegetables will decrease.
I support the motion by Mr. WONG Kwok-hing. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
MR. CHAN BING-WOON (in Cantonese):--I fully support legislative means to increase penalty so as to have a deterrent effect. I think laws should be enacted to control those who procure, transport and sell vegetables. If it is a limited company as seller that fails to comply with the law, the fine should be raised to a higher level. If the seller is an individual, a prison term should be imposed. This is the way to solve the problem since people are fishing gains by applying poisonous pesticides when growing vegetables.
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