March 19, 2004

Macao Resumes Pigeon Imports From Guangdong

Macao has resumed the imports of live pigeons from China's Guangdong province following a seven week bird flu induced ban.

Pigeon dishes are popular in the Guangdong-style cuisine. Suppressed by a month long market shortfall, restaurants in Macao are expected to register a daily import of nearly 2,000 pigeons on the first few days from Guangdong Province. Individual buyers may have to wait till this weekend to find pigeons on retail markets.

According to a spokesman for the Macao Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, the pigeons imported from Zhongshan City in Guangdong are all mandated to be slaughtered at Macao's Nam Yuet Wholesale Market under strict veterinary checks, before being distributed to retail markets.

The resumption of live pigeon imports was arranged by representatives from Macao and Guangdong earlier this week, when both sides also agreed to extend Macao's import of live chicken to the whole province, not just from Macao's neighboring Zhuhai City. Under a cautious bird-flu quarantine control, Macao had formerly had all of its live chicken supply undertaken by three designated poultry farms in Zhuhai.