ENG-2010 — Page 236

190 Food Safety, Environmental Hygiene, Agriculture and Fisheries

Live poultry retailers are also required to observe a set of strict safety rules. They must ensure that people working at the retail outlets wear protective clothing and report immediately to the FEHD any dead poultry found. They must not overstock live poultry in their premises and must affix acrylic panels to their poultry cages to prevent direct contact between customers and the poultry. They are also responsible for preventing customers from touching live poultry.

All live poultry consignments entering Hong Kong have to be tested for avian influenza before being released to their importers.

During the year, the Government suspended temporarily the importation of chilled or frozen poultry meat and poultry products from a number of places with avian influenza outbreaks. The suspension will be lifted when the Government is satisfied with the control and management measures taken in those places and that they have regained their Notifiable Avian Influenza free status.

To monitor avian influenza efficiently, blood samples and, or faecal swabs are collected regularly from poultry farms, wholesale and retail markets, from healthy, sick or dead birds for testing. The same is done with birds kept in recreation parks, pet shops, and wild birds in wetlands and elsewhere. The Government provides a round-the-clock service for receiving birds brought in for examination, regardless of whether the birds are dead, or in a weak condition. A quick, real-time method of testing samples for avian influenza, known as Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), is used in Hong Kong. A new annex of the AFCD Tai Lung Veterinary Laboratory which went into operation in 2009 has enhanced the diagnostic support services for animal diseases.

Long-term precautionary measures require poultry farms to keep proper farm management records, enhance cleaning and disinfection facilities, segregate the functions relating to the rearing of breeder flocks and broiler flocks, and to install metal nets to prevent small birds from entering farm sheds.

In 2010, there were 30 chicken farms in Hong Kong with a total maximum rearing capacity of 1.3 million birds.

The AFCD runs a training programme for staff who carry out poultry culling and conducts culling drills annually.

Monitoring of Influenza Virus in Pigs

The Government monitors closely the occurrence of influenza in humans and pigs. It watches particular closely possible occurrences of genetic reassortment or unusual disease patterns. In 2010, a few local and imported live pigs were found infected with the human swine influenza (A H1N1) virus. The AFCD stepped up inspection of local pig farms and the monitoring of pigs raised there. Local pig farmers were reminded to be on alert and to implement strictly biosecurity measures and maintain proper farm and personal hygiene. The FEHD also stepped up inspection of imported live pigs and reminded slaughterhouse staff and people who might have contact with live pigs to observe personal hygiene and to wear masks and appropriate protective gear while at work. The CFS produces literature on food