1974 — Page 43

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

As far as slaughtering facilities are concerned:

Swine:-

When the new abattoirs were built, we were given to understand by the manufacturer of the equipment which is installed on the dressing lines that they were designed to cope with a daily throughput of 2,700 pigs per eight-hour working day at each abattoir.

Presently, the Cheung Sha Wan Abattoir is slaughtering an average of 4,140 pigs per ten-hour working day, and the Kennedy Town Abattoir an average of 2,760 pigs per eight-hour working day.

The answer is therefore, as far as pig-slaughtering is concerned, that the Council's public abattoirs are being fully utilized and all normal current needs are being met.

Whenever necessary, extra hours are put in to meet the demand, especially during festivals and other occasions.

Cattle:

The design capacity for cattle-slaughtering in both abattoirs is for 450 head of cattle per eight-hour working day each. At Cheung Sha Wan we are now slaughtering an average of 245 head of cattle per eight-hour working day, and 184 at Kennedy Town.

Therefore the answer, as far as cattle are concerned, is that we are meeting all needs, and there is spare capacity to cope with an increase in the number of cattle to be slaughtered.

As for immediate future needs, a third pig dressing line is on order for the Cheung Sha Wan Abattoir, which will increase the capacity of the abattoir, and it is hoped that this will come into operational use early next year.

Although this represents a theoretical 50% increase in capacity, in practice, a lower capacity will be effected because it is intended that the third dressing line will permit more regular maintenance of the equipment. The installation of a similar third line for the Kennedy Town Abattoir is also being processed, and is likely to come into operation in 1976 or 1977.

For our long-term abattoir needs, I understand that the department has submitted a programme plan to Government, involving as it does abattoirs in the New Territories, and that this will be coming to this Council for information and discussion in due course.

In regard to the provision of "cold storage" facilities for the meat trade, each abattoir has a capacity to store up to 85 tons of meat. This represents, say, 1,200 pig carcases and 150 cattle carcases, or approximately 48% of the daily kill of pigs at Cheung Sha Wan, and 72% of the daily kill of pigs at Kennedy Town. I must emphasize, however, that these cold storage facilities are simply chilling facilities in which meat can be kept for up to two or three days only at 10° Celsius. Because the demand is for freshly killed meat, the trade has always been reluctant to accept chilled meat and, in consequence, these chilling facilities are not in great demand and therefore sufficient.

Markets:

As regards cold storage facilities in markets, individual stallholders provide their own, subject to approval.

In addition, many markets, both old and new, have ice stores or cold rooms which are let out.

Although the demand is for fresh meat, the frozen imported meats and fowl are gaining popularity possibly because these are often cheaper.

MOTIONS

(1) MR. KENNETH T. C. LO, CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION AND AMENITIES SELECT COMMITTEE, moved the following motion:—

"That the Stadia By-laws 1974 be made under Section 105D of the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance Cap. 132."

He said (in English): -Mr. Chairman, the purpose of these by-laws before you today is to provide the Council and the departmental staff with much-needed authority for managing and regulating our stadia in the urban areas. The by-laws have been extensively considered by both the Recreation and Amenities Select Committee, and by the

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