ENG-2013 — Page 209

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Food Safety, Environmental Hygiene, Agriculture and Fisheries

Environmental Hygiene and subsequently held meetings and discussions with representatives of animal welfare groups and the pet trading and breeding trade. The government is considering all views carefully to ensure that the proposed regulatory system is practicable and effective in protecting the welfare of animals.

Primary Production

Hong Kong's agriculture and fisheries industries are relatively small and receive no government subsidies, but the government assists them in improving the quality of their output, their productivity and competitiveness. In 2013, the combined output of the two industries, which directly employed some 16,580 people, was $3.28 billion. Vegetables accounted for 2 per cent of local consumption; cut flowers, 27 per cent; live pigs, 7 per cent; live poultry, 60 per cent; freshwater fish, 3 per cent; and local seafood, 28 per cent.

Agricultural Industry

Hong Kong's agricultural industry focuses mainly on producing good quality fresh food crops through intensive land use. About 1 per cent of New Territories land (where most farming is done) is used for growing crops, comprising mainly vegetables and cut flowers, with a combined output in 2013 valued at about $256 million. Pigs and poultry are the principal food animals reared. In 2013, locally reared pigs earned about $273 million, while poultry, including chickens and eggs, earned about $247 million.

The AFCD encourages crop farmers to tap niche markets and to sharpen their competitiveness by cultivating safe and good quality vegetables. The department works with local organic farming groups and the Vegetable Marketing Organisation (VMO) to promote organic farming and to develop a market for organic vegetables. The department provides an organic farming support service to 224 farms located on about 89 hectares of land. The AFCD also promotes the use of greenhouse technology for intensive high-value crop production. During 2013, four improved varieties of vegetable and fruit (long green pepper, green pak choi, orange-yellow flesh watermelon, and non-netted melon) were introduced to farmers for cultivation in Hong Kong.

The AFCD and the VMO have managed the voluntary Accredited Farm Scheme since 1994 with the aim of providing a stable supply of high quality and safe vegetables. As at the end of 2013, 297 farms in Hong Kong, Guangdong and Ningxia Autonomous Region, spreading over 2,759 hectares of land, have been accredited under the scheme.

Leisure farms have become popular places for recreation in recent years. In collaboration with the local agricultural sector, the AFCD published a Guide to Hong Kong Leisure Farms 2013 and created a website (http://fedvmcs.org/farm_index.php) to help showcase a variety of leisure farms in Hong Kong to visitors.

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