ENG-2006 — Page 227

Food Safety, Environmental Hygiene, Agriculture and Fisheries 187

FPS licences or stall tenancies in FEHD public markets for an ex gratia payment. A total of 333 live poultry retailers surrendered their licences or terminated their stall tenancies under the scheme which ended in August 2006.

During the year, the AFCD suspended temporarily the importation of live birds from a number of countries, including Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, North Korea, Russia, Kazakhstan and Cote D'Ivoire following reports of avian flu outbreaks in those countries. The restrictions will be lifted when conditions imposed by the World Organisation for Animal Health are met. Import protocols were introduced for the importation of live birds from the Mainland, subject to their being vaccinated or having proper health certificates.

All live birds shipped to Hong Kong have to be tested for avian influenza before being exported. Birds imported from countries that are located near affected ones, are placed in quarantine and examined before being released.

Hong Kong continued to observe strict rules in 2006 to protect humans, local poultry farms, wholesale and retail markets from avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu. The measures included stepped-up monitoring of biosecurity in farms and markets, universal vaccination of chickens against the disease and intensive surveillance of all birds entering, or already, in Hong Kong.

Blood samples and faecal swabs are collected on a regular basis from healthy, sick or dead birds in poultry farms, wholesale and retail poultry markets, as well as birds kept in recreation parks, pet shops, and wild birds in wetlands, country parks and elsewhere, and examined to see if they contain the virus. PCR testing, a rapid real-time method is used to speed up detection of the H5N1 virus. Since October 2005, the Government has provided a round-the-clock service for receiving birds brought in for examination, regardless of whether they are dead, or in a weak state.

In 2006, some 10 000 wild birds were tested under the programme. Fifteen dead wild birds and two abandoned chickens of unknown origin were found to have the H5N1 virus. But there were no outbreaks of the disease in local poultry farms or markets.

In addition, the Government introduced legislation in February 2006, banning the keeping of poultry, including chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons and quails, in backyards. Offenders faced fines of between $50,000 and $100,000. People keeping poultry as pets before the ban went into effect were required to apply for exemption permits to continue keeping those pets. Owners of racing pigeons were required to have exhibition licences.

In August 2006, the Government completed its one-year offer to poultry farmers and live poultry wholesalers and transporters to surrender their licences, or cease operation voluntarily in return for an ex gratia payment. This was to reduce Hong Kong's live poultry population and the accompanying risk of avian flu settling in. A total of 145 poultry farmers 101 chicken, 39 pigeon and five duck farmers. accepted the offer. Sixteen wholesalers followed suit. As a result, the number of birds