copying Korean "farmers" - how interesting
- From: "goodgutgut@xxxxxxxxx" <goodgutgut@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 15 Mar 2006 05:57:59 -0800
Chicken traders in harbor plunge
Anger over the government's poultry restrictions spilled over when
traders interrupted a Legislative Council meeting and plunged into the
harbor to protest the limiting of local live chickens to two million.
Andrea Chiu
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Anger over the government's poultry restrictions spilled over when
traders interrupted a Legislative Council meeting and plunged into the
harbor to protest the limiting of local live chickens to two million.
About 50 protesters from the industry marched Tuesday to Legco, where
they met Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food Bureau York Chow and
expressed their concerns over the restrictions announced last week.
Tempers flared when Hong Kong Poultry Wholesalers' and Retailers'
Association chairman Wong Wai-cheung interrupted the secretary while he
was addressing the panel on food safety and environmental hygiene.
him names before Wong was escorted out.From the balcony, Wong and his companions criticized Chow and called
Later, five protesters took a page from Korean farmers during the World
Trade Organization meetings in December and jumped into the harbor.
Tension has risen since last week's announcement that the government
will cap daily live chicken trade to 20,000 from the mainland and
20,000 from local farms to meet demand.
"Since the Lunar New Year, our chicken consumption has been 40,000 a
day, that's why we set the supply of chickens at 20,000 each," Chow
said.
But Liberal Party member and catering sector legislator Tommy Cheung
said Hong Kong's actual consumption was more like 60,000 chickens a
day.
Cheung also questioned whether Hong Kong poultry should be targeted at
all in the fight against H5N1. He said no chickens in Hong Kong had
been found with the virus and that the government should instead focus
on wild birds.
According to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department,
however, two of the 16 birds found with the virus this year have been
chickens - one found at a border village near Sha Tau Kok that had been
imported from the mainland, and the other a dead bird found in Tuen
Mun.
Several lawmakers expressed concern over the plight of the poultry
traders. "I have never seen such a reaction from the industry," said
Liberal Vincent Fang after hearing that traders had jumped into the
harbor.
"We understand their concern and we are also sympathetic to their
feelings," Chow said.
"However, I think we are facing a very important issue of public health
safety in terms of the avian flu. We must ensure that the number of
chickens in Hong Kong is under control and also be able to cope with
any contingency."
He added the government would meet with trade representatives after
health officials returned from Guangdong next week. By that time, the
government will have a better idea of the trading climate in Hong Kong.
"But traders must make some compromises in terms of the number of
chickens to be imported," he said.
There is a three-week ban on imports of live poultry, day-old chicks
and pet birds from Guangdong.
All live poultry may be culled if it is proved that current measures
are not effective, said an administration paper quoted by the panel.
It said: "For example, having two or more cases of avian influenza
outbreaks at local poultry farms or retail markets within a short
period of time, we will take decisive action to cull all live poultry
in Hong Kong immediately."
Avian flu fears briefly intensified Monday when seven dead pigeons and
an injured one were found in Happy Valley.
Early tests to find out whether the birds were carrying the H5N1 virus
proved negative Tuesday afternoon.
© 2005 The Standard, Sing Tao Media Corporation.
.
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