poultry

Hong Kong authorities approved the resumption of imports and sales of live poultry Thursday, following a three-week ban imposed after a dead chicken tested positive for a lethal strain of bird flu.

Secretary for Food & Health Dr York Chow says there is limited room for further adjustment in the ex-gratia payments to chicken farms. He hopes farmers will be pragmatic and realistic in their requests to the Government.

Unsold live chickens will banned from overnight stays at retail markets when chicken sales resume on July 2, while the Government will give more time for retailers, farmers, wholesalers and transport operators to consider a proposed compensation package to buy out their licences, Secretary for Food & Health Dr York Chow says.

The sale of live chickens is set to resume in the middle of next week, after some retailers agreed to clean out their stalls daily to minimise the risk of bird flu.

The government is poised to stage a multibillion-dollar buyout of Hong Kong's poultry industry in an historic move that may spell the end of the territory's live chicken trade.