Press Releases

Infected farms confined to Kam Tin
Friday, February 15, 2002

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) stressed that farms infected with H5 virus are confined to Kam Tin, adding that the department had not found any unusual number of chicken deaths in other farms.

Three more chicken farms in Kam Tin proved to be infected with H5 virus, bringing the total number of infected farms to 10, an AFCD spokesman said. The three farms were depopulated today (February 15) and some 78,000 chickens were destroyed.

The spokesman stressed, "These newly-confirmed infected farms have already been put under quarantine since February 5 and no chicken has left these farms for sale since then.

"So far we have not found any unusual chicken deaths in our regular farm inspections outside the quarantine area. We believe that the virus is not spreading to areas outside Kam Tin."

On the new arrangements on inspection of chicken farms and wholesaling of chickens that were implemented from last Saturday, the spokesman said, "With the support of chicken farmers and wholesalers, the new measures have been running smoothly.

From February 9, AFCD examines each consignment of marketable chickens at local farms within five days before sale. Each vehicle is allowed to transport one consignment of chickens from one farm only. All chickens from local chickens must go through the Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Poultry Wholesale Market where additional testing will be conducted.

"The AFCD remains on full alert and will continue monitoring all local farms and the poultry wholesale market closely," he said.