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newly emerged virus was carried through imported poultry. It was not until my motion was carried at the meeting of the Provisional Urban Council on 16.12.1997 that the Agriculture and Fisheries Department finally changed its mind and agreed to put in place a more stringent, proper and regular quarantine and tagging system when imports of live poultry were to be resumed after slaughtering 1.4 million chickens in Hong Kong.
The outbreak of bird flu has not only exposed the shortcoming of the lack of a quarantine system for imported live poultry in Hong Kong, but also revealed the loophole in ensuring food safety, which has arisen from the lack of a regular and stringent surveillance testing system for frozen poultry and meat.
In response to my questions raised at the meeting of the Public Health Select Committee on 7.1.1998, officials from the department concerned said that Hong Kong was not required to have a surveillance testing system for imported frozen meat for the following reasons: firstly, the frozen meat imported into Hong Kong comes from more than ten countries and no adverse record has so far been noted; secondly, all the imported frozen meat will carry health certificates issued by the exporting countries; thirdly, health inspectors of the Department of Health carry out regular sampling of food products on sale in the local market; and fourthly, frozen meat is not a kind of high-risk food and is less vulnerable to cross-contamination. Thus, there is no need to have a surveillance testing system for imported frozen poultry and meat.
Is it true, as what the department concerned has said, that there is no need to introduce a surveillance testing system for imported frozen poultry and meat? In fact, in the current bird flu crisis, the Mainland has, to tie in with our emergency action in the destruction of all chickens, stopped exports of live poultry, as well as frozen poultry and meat to Hong Kong. The halt in the importation of frozen poultry and meat together with the future implementation of the registration and quarantine systems are sufficient to reveal the need for a comprehensive surveillance testing system for imported frozen meat in Hong Kong.
Apart from the lesson learned from the recent bird flu crisis which evinces the need for a comprehensive and proper surveillance testing system for imported frozen poultry and meat, there are at least four more justifications for adopting such a sound proposal to protect public health;
First of all, the setting up of a surveillance testing system for imported frozen meat and poultry is the first step to exercise tight control over imported food. This is also the foremost control at the source. No country or region in the world will automatically give up this foremost control to protect public health. In the past, being a British colony, Hong Kong had to toe the British line. But now as we have been granted a high degree of autonomy, it is imperative for the Government to take this important step to safeguard public health.
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newly emerged virus was carried through imported poultry. It was not until my motion was carried at the meeting of the Provisional Urban Council on 16.12.1997 that the Agriculture and Fisheries Department finally changed its mind and agreed to put in place a more stringent, proper and regular quarantine and tagging system when imports of live poultry were to be resumed after slaughtering 1.4 million chickens in Hong Kong.
The outbreak of bird flu has not only exposed the shortcoming of the lack of a quarantine system for imported live poultry in Hong Kong, but also revealed the loophole in ensuring food safety, which has arisen from the lack of a regular and stringent surveillance testing system for frozen poultry and meat.
In response to my questions raised at the meeting of the Public Health Select Committee on 7.1.1998, officials from the department concerned said that Hong Kong was not required to have a surveillance testing system for imported frozen meat for the following reasons: firstly, the frozen meat imported into Hong Kong comes from more than ten countries and no adverse record has so far been noted; secondly, all the imported frozen meat will carry health certificates issued by the exporting countries; thirdly, health inspectors of the Department of Health carry out regular sampling of food products on sale in the local market; and fourthly, frozen meat is not a kind of high risk food and is less vulnerable to cross contamination. Thus, there is no need to have a surveillance testing system for imported frozen poultry and meat,
Is it true, as what the department concerned has said, that there is no need to introduce a surveillance testing system for imported frozen poultry and meat? In fact, in the current bird flu crisis, the Mainland has, to tie in with our emergency action in the destruction of all chickens, stopped exports of live poultry, as well as frozen poultry and meat to Hong Kong. The halt in the importation of frozen poultry and meat together with the future implementation of the registration and quarantine systems are sufficient to reveal the need for a comprehensive surveillance testing system for imported frozen meat in Hong Kong.
Apart from the lesson learned from the recent bird flu crisis which evinces the need for a comprehensive and proper surveillance testing system for imported frozen poultry and meat, there are at least four more justifications for adopting such a sound proposal to protect public health;
First of all, the setting up of a surveillance testing system for imported frozen meat and poultry is the first step to exercise tight control over imported food. This is also the foremost control at the source. No country or region in the world will automatically give up this foremost control to protect public health. In the past, being a British colony, Hong Kong had to toe the British line. But now as we have been granted a high degree of autonomy, it is imperative for the Government to take this important step to safeguard public health.
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