Henan pork could be back on sale today
Four traders applied for permits to import frozen pork from Henan province yesterday, the same day Hong Kong lifted its ban on products from three provinces as fears over the pig-borne disease Streptococcus suis subsided.
But worried pork wholesalers and retailers said they would take a wait-and-see approach, with one association only importing 15 per cent of its previous order, while another turned to Brazilian supplies for the rest of the year.
Import licences take one day to process, so Henan pork could be back on the shelves today.
The resumption of pork imports came as two new cases of the disease were confirmed in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. There have been 11 cases in Hong Kong so far, while Guangdong has reported four.
The outbreak in Sichuan was declared under control this week, after 38 deaths from 204 cases.
Cheng Hing, chairman of the Hong Kong Frozen Meat and Seafood Wholesale Retailers' Association, said: 'We know most consumers are still not confident enough to eat Sichuan pork, so we are only going to import 3 to 4 tonnes.' The association represents 220 local dealers and shops.
Amy Chong Wai-chuen, deputy general manager of Dah Chong Hong Food Marts, said: 'We put in a major order for Brazilian pork late last month. That should last us until the end of the year, so we're not going to consider buying Sichuan pork yet.'
Teresa Pang Sau-kwan, public relations manager for ParknShop, said it was not worried about consumer confidence in its pork.
'If the imported pork passes government standards, then it's good enough for us. But we still want to wait and see the demand.'
As imports resumed yesterday, consumers had mixed views, with Chan Yin-wai, 60, putting her faith in the government.
'It has been very strict in inspecting pork imports, so I'm not worried about diseases. I never stopped eating pork and I never will,' Ms Chan said.
However, housewife Siu Gum-yuen, 53, was adamant that she would never buy frozen pork again.
Of 90,000 tonnes of frozen pork imported from the mainland last year, 48 per cent came from Sichuan and 16 per cent from Henan.
