February 3, 2004

Hong Kong Bans Pet Bird Imports From All Countries

Hong Kong has banned pet bird imports from all countries on Monday, but officials agreed to allow local farms to resume chicken supply to markets.

Hong Kong, still to be hit by bird flu, had earlier banned imports of live birds and poultry products from mainland China and other affected countries, including Thailand, Vietnam and Japan, as part of measures to prevent the disease from spreading here.

The government said in a statement that it decided to suspend importation of pet birds "pending the development of avian influenza in the region."

Last week, officials halted local chicken supplies partly due to a glut as poultry consumption fell because of bird flu worries.

But sales of locally-bred chickens will resume Friday, as the remaining supplies of more than 70,000 birds will be consumed in two to three days, said Deputy Health Secretary Eddy Chan.

Frankie Choi, a spokesman for the health bureau, said the markets will be thoroughly cleaned and local chickens will be inspected Thursday ahead of the sale resumption.

Hong Kong is on high alert for the spread of bird flu from China, as the mainland scrambled Monday to contain its latest suspected outbreaks in poultry.

Hong Kong has been repeatedly struck by bird flu in recent years. In 1997, the disease crossed over from chickens to humans, killing six people and prompting officials to cull 1.4 million chickens.