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contingency measures and study long-term solutions (including study on setting up of imports quarantine systems for high-risk seafood, sale records, collection systems, and actively adopt and employ organizations on science research to develop rapid test medicine and methods, etc.) in order to safeguard citizens' health and enable the normal sale of non-high-risk seafood."
He said (in Cantonese):--I wish to move the motion standing in my name.
Following the food crisis involving chicken, beef, pork and vegetables, the people of Hong Kong are faced with another problem of food hygiene, that of poisonous fish. There were 13 cases of food poisoning in 1994, with a total of 48 people affected. In 1995, there were another 13 cases, with 53 people affected. In 1996, there were 17 cases, with 70 people affected. In 1997, there were 16 cases, with 103 people affected. From January to mid-May this year, there have been a total of 60 cases, with 268 people poisoned by ciguatoxin.
If we look at the problem of ciguatoxin in coral-reef fish in the context of figures, we can see that the number of cases in the first few months of 1998 was already 4.61 times that of the entire year of 1994. In terms of the number of people poisoned, the figure for the first five months of 1998 was 5.58 times that of the entire year of 1994. The situation is indeed very alarming, not to mention that there were 22 cases of poisoning in the second week of May alone, with a total of 68 people affected. In face of such a serious problem of ciguatoxin, Mrs. Wel, Director of the Agriculture and Fisheries Department (AFD), remarked lightly, "It is unpractical to examine all the imported seafood. Before there is an effective and a quick way to test the existence of ciguatoxin in fish, the only alternative now is not to eat any big coral-reef fish for the time being."
I consider that this is a very passive way for the Director of the AFD to handle the problem of ciguatoxin in fish. I regret about it too. Such a way to handle a problem is by no means the proper attitude that a responsible official should have. In fact, we can see that as the AFD is not accountable to or monitored by any representative institution, the whole thing seems to have come to an end with Mrs. Wel's casual remark. But, has the problem been solved? It hasn't. It is still there. There is therefore a genuine need for an elected representative body to monitor the issue of food hygiene and formulate the related policies.
My purpose in moving the motion today is two-fold. The first one is to safeguard the health of the people of Hong Kong, and to ensure that they have fish as food, the kind of fish that would not harm their health. The second purpose is to ensure normal operation of the fishing business and normal sale of the fish caught, or else, honest fish importers or retailers would be placed in a deplorable state, as the problem would deal a heavy blow to seafood stalls
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contingency measures and study long-term solutions (including study on setting up of imports quarantine systems for high-risk seafood, sale records. collection systems, and actively adopt and employ organizations on science research to develop rapid test medicine and methods, etc.) in order to safeguard citizens' health and enable the normal sale of non-high-risk seafood."
He said (in Cantonese):--I wish to move the motion standing in my name.
Following the food crisis involving chicken, beef, pork and vegetables, the people of Hong Kong are faced with another problem of food hygiene, that of poisonous fish. There were 13 cases of food poisoning in 1994, with a total of 48 people affected. In 1995, there were another 13 cases, with 53 people affected. In 1996. there were 17 cases, with 70 people affected. In 1997. there were 16 cases, with 103 people affected. From January to mid-May this year, there have been a total of 60 cases, with 268 people poisoned by ciguatoxin.
If we look at the problem of ciguatoxin in coral-reef fish in the context of figures, we can see that the number of cases in the first few months of 1998 was already 4,61 times that of the entire year of 1994. In terms of the number of people poisoned, the figure for the first five months of 1998 was 5.58 times that of the entire year of 1994. The situation is indeed very alarming, not to mention that there were 22 cases of poisoning in the second week of May alone, with a total of 68 people affected. In face of such a serious problem of ciguatoxin. Mrs. Wel, Director of the Agriculture and Fisheries Department (AFD), remarked lightly. It is unpractical to examine all the imported seafood. Before there is an effective and a quick way to test the existence of ciguatoxin in fish, the only alternative now is not to eat any big coral-reef fish for the time being."
I consider that this is a very passive way for the Director of the AFD to handle the problem of ciguatoxin in fish. I regret about it too. Such a way to handle a problem is by no means the proper altitude that a responsible official should have. In fact, we can see that as the AFD is not accountable to or monitored by any representative institution, the whole thing seems to have come to an end with Mrs. Wel's casual remark. But, has the problem been solved? It hasn't. It is still there. There is therefore a genuine need for an elected representative body to monitor the issue of food hygiene and formulate the related policies.
My purpose in moving the motion today is two-fold. The first one is to safeguard the health of the people of Hong Kong, and to ensure that they have fish as food, the kind of fish that would not harm their health. The second purpose is to ensure normal operation of the fishing business and normal sale of the fish caught, or else, honest fish importers or retailers would be placed in a deplorable state, as the problem would deal a heavy blow to seafood stalls
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