"WE WILL KILL AND EAT ALL OF THEM"

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   Backyard farms to be banned

The government said it plans to outlaw backyard poultry farms to combat 

avian flu after attempts to cull birds at people's homes failed. 

Saturday, February 04, 2006

The government said it plans to outlaw backyard poultry farms to combat 

avian flu after attempts to cull birds at people's homes failed.

Warning that bird flu in Hong Kong was "endemic," Secretary for Health, 

Welfare and Food York Chow made the announcement Friday, following 

last month's discovery of a dead chicken and two wild birds infected with 

the H5N1 virus in the New Territories.

The chicken had been smuggled from the mainland, and three members 

of a family that kept it in their backyard had been quarantined. They have 

since tested negative for the virus.

Under current public health regulations, only households or farms with 

more than 20 chickens or poultry have to be licensed.

Chow said that in a bid to plug loopholes and prevent the spread of avian 

flu, legislation to be presented within the next two weeks will ban the 

keeping of live poultry in homes, even for a short period of time.

He said the discovery of the dead chicken and birds suggested that bird 

flu is now endemic in Hong Kong, but that the risk of an outbreak in the 

territory is still relatively small.

A bid Thursday to round up all backyard chickens in the border town of 

Sha Tau Kok - where the dead chicken was found - failed as only 10 of 

310 birds were surrendered by residents to Agriculture, Fisheries and 

Conservation Department officers.

Chow said banning backyard farms is necessary as these households do 

not have safety measures to prevent the poultry from coming into contact 

with migratory birds.

He said the ban will apply to chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons, turkeys and 

quails, and offenders could be subject to fines ranging from HK$50,000 

to HK$100,000.

Before the legislation comes into force, AFCD staff will patrol rural areas 

and ask those with backyard farms to voluntarily surrender their poultry.

Those who do not wish to do so will be allowed to vaccinate and keep 

their poultry until the bill becomes law.

Those who hand in their poultry will be compensated.

"The amount of compensation will not be big as we don't want to pay for 

chickens from an unknown source," Chow said.

Meanwhile, customs commissioner Timothy Tong said officers from his 

department had stepped up inspections at all border crossings to prevent 

smuggling of poultry.

The chairman of the Legislative Council's food safety panel, Democratic 

Party legislator Fred Li, said he agreed with the proposed legislation as 

live chickens were now a "time bomb" for the spread of the H5N1 virus.

Wong Yung-kan, the legislator representing the agriculture and fisheries 

sector, also agreed with the amendment to the health regulations, but 

urged the government to ensure the compensation is fair.

However, some households in Sha Tau Kok are angry about the proposed 

amendment.

One resident, Ko Tai-choi, 67, refused to surrender her eight chickens 

Thursday and instead killed four of them for food.

"Vaccinating chickens should be enough," she said "This is a free society 

and there is no reason why we should not be allowed to raise chickens for 

our own use."

Another resident said his chickens and ducks had come from a registered 

farm and that he would not surrender them.

"We will kill and eat all of them before the regulations 

come into force," he said.

 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,25149-2023672,00.htm l

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Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest Group	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guests Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: "WE WILL KILL AND EAT ALL OF THEM" Posted: February 03 2006 at 5:43pm
	Backyard farms to be banned The government said it plans to outlaw backyard poultry farms to combat avian flu after attempts to cull birds at people's homes failed. Saturday, February 04, 2006 The government said it plans to outlaw backyard poultry farms to combat avian flu after attempts to cull birds at people's homes failed. Warning that bird flu in Hong Kong was "endemic," Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food York Chow made the announcement Friday, following last month's discovery of a dead chicken and two wild birds infected with the H5N1 virus in the New Territories. The chicken had been smuggled from the mainland, and three members of a family that kept it in their backyard had been quarantined. They have since tested negative for the virus. Under current public health regulations, only households or farms with more than 20 chickens or poultry have to be licensed. Chow said that in a bid to plug loopholes and prevent the spread of avian flu, legislation to be presented within the next two weeks will ban the keeping of live poultry in homes, even for a short period of time. He said the discovery of the dead chicken and birds suggested that bird flu is now endemic in Hong Kong, but that the risk of an outbreak in the territory is still relatively small. A bid Thursday to round up all backyard chickens in the border town of Sha Tau Kok - where the dead chicken was found - failed as only 10 of 310 birds were surrendered by residents to Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department officers. Chow said banning backyard farms is necessary as these households do not have safety measures to prevent the poultry from coming into contact with migratory birds. He said the ban will apply to chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons, turkeys and quails, and offenders could be subject to fines ranging from HK$50,000 to HK$100,000. Before the legislation comes into force, AFCD staff will patrol rural areas and ask those with backyard farms to voluntarily surrender their poultry. Those who do not wish to do so will be allowed to vaccinate and keep their poultry until the bill becomes law. Those who hand in their poultry will be compensated. "The amount of compensation will not be big as we don't want to pay for chickens from an unknown source," Chow said. Meanwhile, customs commissioner Timothy Tong said officers from his department had stepped up inspections at all border crossings to prevent smuggling of poultry. The chairman of the Legislative Council's food safety panel, Democratic Party legislator Fred Li, said he agreed with the proposed legislation as live chickens were now a "time bomb" for the spread of the H5N1 virus. Wong Yung-kan, the legislator representing the agriculture and fisheries sector, also agreed with the amendment to the health regulations, but urged the government to ensure the compensation is fair. However, some households in Sha Tau Kok are angry about the proposed amendment. One resident, Ko Tai-choi, 67, refused to surrender her eight chickens Thursday and instead killed four of them for food. "Vaccinating chickens should be enough," she said "This is a free society and there is no reason why we should not be allowed to raise chickens for our own use." Another resident said his chickens and ducks had come from a registered farm and that he would not surrender them. "We will kill and eat all of them before the regulations come into force," he said. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,25149-2023672,00.htm l