Press Releases

Chicken influenza still under control
Monday, February 11, 2002

In response to media enquiries about the latest development of the chicken disease incident, a spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) stressed that the infected farms are confined to the Kam Tin area.

In addition to the six farms which were infected earlier, one more chicken farm in Kam Tin proved to be infected with H5 virus and has been depopulated yesterday (February 10). The spokesman stressed that the newly-confirmed infected farm had already been under quarantine since February 5 and no chickens had left this farm for sale since then.

Some 24,000 chickens in the infected farm have been destroyed by the AFCD, bringing the total number of chickens slaughtered at local farms from February 1 to about 238,000. Cleansing and disinfection work is being conducted in the farm.

Meanwhile, AFCD, in a joint operation with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department yesterday, intercepted a consignment of chickens which went directly to a retail outlet in Tuen Mun. The stall holder surrendered all the chickens to the Administration. The chickens have been destroyed.

Acting on information, AFCD also found a batch of about 150 chickens at an isolated unlicenced premises in Lok Ma Chau yesterday. All these chickens were removed to the New Territories North Animal Management Centre and will be destroyed later.

"We remain on full alert and will continue monitoring all local farms and the poultry wholesale market closely," the spokesman said.