July 4, 2008
Hong Kong poultry farmers want chicken segregation, tracing system
Poultry farmers in Hong Kong want the government to consider segregating local and imported chickens to prevent bird flu.
A segregation system could provide a bird flu-free poultry supply, according to Peter Wong Chun-Kow, branch president of the World's Poultry Science Association.
Wong suggests that smuggled chickens pose threats to public health but the problem could be solved if local chicken farmers directly supply the market stalls, provided the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department establishes a bar-code system.
Wong said the barcodes would enable the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department trace the source of the chickens at retail outlets.
