ENG-2014 — Page 209

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Food Safety, Environmental Hygiene, Agriculture and Fisheries

Animal Welfare

The AFCD collaborates with 13 animal welfare organisations (AWOS) in providing animal re- homing services, covering dogs, cats, rabbits, birds and reptiles. The AFCD provides support to its partner organisations in the re-homing of animals, including inviting AWOS to join forces with the AFCD in holding 'Animal Adoption Day' activities and providing free de-sexing services for animals re-homed through the partner organisations.

To improve the handling of animal cruelty reports or complaints, an inter-departmental special working group was set up involving the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and government departments, including the Hong Kong Police Force, the FEHD and the AFCD, to examine the government's work on handling animal cruelty cases, devise guidelines and to ensure that animal welfare is well protected. The AFCD has enhanced its co-operation with AWOS through expanding the membership of the Animal Welfare Advisory Group (AWAG) and co-opting more representatives of AWOS to the various working groups under AWAG.

The government is working on proposed amendments to the Public Health (Animals and Birds) (Animal Trader) Regulations to strengthen regulation of pet trading to better protect animal welfare. The legislative proposals include tightening regulation of persons who breed and sell dogs with a new licensing scheme; increasing the relevant penalties under the law; and empowering the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation to revoke animal trader licences under certain circumstances.

Primary Production

Hong Kong's agriculture and fisheries industries are relatively small. The government assists them in improving the quality of their output, their productivity and competitiveness. In 2014, the combined output of the two industries, which directly employed some 17,000 people, was $3.53 billion. Vegetables accounted for 2 per cent of local consumption; cut flowers, 29 per cent; live pigs, 5 per cent; live poultry, 80 per cent; freshwater fish, 2 per cent; and local seafood, 32 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 2014 valued at about $277 million. Pigs and poultry are the principal food animals reared. In 2014, locally reared pigs earned about $247 million, while poultry, including chickens and eggs, earned about $306 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 248 farms located on about 96 hectares of land. The AFCD also promotes the use of greenhouse technology for intensive high-value crop production. During 2014, three

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