ENG-2005 — Page 233

Food Safety, Environmental Hygiene, Agriculture and Fisheries 191

dropped after they met the Office International des Epizooties (OIE World Organisation for Animal Health) guidelines for freedom from avian influenza. Import protocols were developed for the safe importation of live birds from the Mainland, based on vaccination and certification.

All live birds imported to Hong Kong are required to be tested for avian influenza before shipment and are subject to strict health certification requirements. Imported birds from other countries seen to present a potential risk, such as those countries neighbouring infected countries, are subject to hold-and-test measures in quarantine in Hong Kong before release.

Protection of humans, local poultry farms, wholesale and retail markets against. avian influenza in 2005 continued to involve a strategy which also included greatly enhanced biosecurity in farms and markets, universal vaccination of chickens against H5N1 and intensive surveillance of all bird populations entering or already in Hong Kong to enable early detection of H5N1 virus incursions. The enhanced biosecurity in farms and poultry markets included birdproofing of farms and a spectrum of measures relating to the movement of birds, materials and people to and from farms and markets to prevent avian influenza in the industry and prevent human exposure to the virus.

As part of this strategy, samples were collected on a daily to monthly basis from both healthy and sick or dead birds on poultry farms, wholesale and retail poultry markets, captive birds in recreation parks, pet birds in pet shops and the Mong Kok Bird Garden, wild birds in wetlands, country parks and elsewhere and then cultured to detect avian influenza viruses. In addition, to enhance the early detection of H5N1 virus incursions, rapid (real-time) PCR testing for H5 virus continued on local and imported poultry prior to entry to wholesale poultry markets. In 2005, the AFCD and the Department of Microbiology at the University of Hong Kong conducted virus culture tests for avian influenza viruses on over 38 000 samples from poultry and other birds.

During the year, H5N1 viruses were only isolated from one wild bird, a Chinese pond heron, in January. There was no evidence of H5N1 infection in local or imported farm poultry, pet birds or captive birds in recreation parks despite the major outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza in the Asian region from 2004 on.

In August, the Government introduced a voluntary scheme for poultry farmers and live poultry wholesalers and transporters with the aim of reducing the live poultry population to improve avian influenza risk management. Under the scheme, they are granted ex gratia payments if they opt to surrender their licences or tenancies and cease their poultry business permanently.

Retail and Cooked Food Markets

The FEHD operates 104 public markets (including 26 free-standing cooked food markets) with about 11 550 occupied stalls selling commodities ranging from fresh food to household items. During the year, one new market at Tai Kok Tsui and one new free-standing cooked food market at Mong Kok were opened for public use.