bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Elizabeth Cheung

Some of Hong Kong’s poultry farmers have admitted feeding antibiotics to chickens even when they are healthy, prompting fears about resistant superbugs among livestock and raising calls for more stringent use of drugs in the trade.
The Post came across such cases after a recent Consumer Council study found 96 per cent of locally raised chickens contained bacteria resistant to antibiotics.
The United States and the European Union have banned the use of certain antibiotics to ­promote growth in animals, while EU parliamentarians have called for a ban on the use of such drugs to prevent disease.
Experts suggested the government support farmers with more professional advice and expertise rather than blame them for the problem.
Watch: Antibiotics for healthy chickens


“There aren’t any vets specialising in pigs or chickens. Farmers have been treating livestock drawing from their own experience,” chicken farmer Lee Leung-kei said.
Lee, 64, is a 34-year veteran of the industry and runs a farm in San Wai Tsuen, Yuen Long. He keeps about 30,000 chickens in stacked cages with room only to poke their heads out for water or food.
Such a crowded environment, where infectious diseases can be easily spread, is common on the city’s 29 poultry farms.
Lee said he had been administering antibiotics to healthy chicks under 40 days old in order to keep them strong.
If we do nothing for prevention, the mortality rate can be over 10 per cent
Lee Leung-kei, chicken farmer
“If we do nothing for prevention, the mortality rate can be over 10 per cent,” the farmer added.
Another Yuen Long farmer, Chung Ka-yau, also said he used antibiotics, especially during cold weather. “We have to use them before the chickens fall sick,” he said.
If no antibiotics were used, only about 70 per cent of his livestock would survive for sale on the market, Chung added.
Under existing regulations, farmers require a permit from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department to obtain and possess 20 types of ­antibiotics.
The department also distributes a 75-page booklet explaining the complicated rules and procedures for using antibiotics.
Although the booklet specifies that antibiotics should only be used in cases of bacterial infection – as opposed to viral or other cases – both Lee and Chung said they would use the drugs on poultry as long as their chickens exhibited symptoms such as watery eyes, sneezing or diarrhoea.
“Chickens will produce a ‘hurr’ sound ... and look less energetic,” Lee said, explaining how he identified respiratory infection before administering antibiotics.
Dr Howard Wong Kai-hay, executive director of City University’s school of veterinary medicine, said farmers could make wrong decisions in treating ­livestock.

“They might not know precisely which drug to use, or how much and how frequently they should be prescribed,” Wong, who worked as a government vet for more than a decade, said.
“Farmers have already tried their best to use less antibiotics ... but they need someone to tell them whether the drug used is ­appropriate.”
While the Consumer Council has suggested phasing out drug permits and restricting the use of antibiotics, making them available only to vets, Wong said banning antibiotics in one go would be impractical.
“It must come with a set of comprehensive measures, including better biosecurity, disease diagnosis and surveillance as well as veterinary oversight. Otherwise [the farms] will just end up in an unsustainable situation,” he said.
China’s Year of the Rooster to see a serious chicken meat shortage
Wong added that most of the city’s 886 vets only treated pets, which is considered to be a more profitable trade.
Professor Terence Lau Lok-ting, convenor of Polytechnic University’s food safety consortium and member of the government’s Expert Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance, agreed that educating farmers was a step in the right direction.
But he suggested that universities and the government also play a role in modernising farms to ­improve their techniques.
The government said it was ­exploring the feasibility of seeking help from tertiary institutions and veterinary bodies in diagnosing diseases and prescribing anti­biotics for local livestock.


Luxury EV built with Huawei outsells Porsche’s Panamera and BMW’s 7 Series in China

China’s Xiaomi rejects claims of military ties after US lawmakers’ appeal to Pentagon

Belowground retail concept unveils a new look in Hong Kong as part of Landmark’s revamp

China bans e-commerce platforms from forcing lowest prices or abusing algorithms

Consumers

Hong Kong farmers give antibiotics to healthy chickens ... and raise supervision concerns

A chicken farm in Yuen Long. Farmers say they use antibiotics on chickens to prevent diseases and keep them healthy. Photo: Handout

Antibiotics for chicken is seen at Wing Ming chicken farm located in Yuen Long. 10JAN17 SCMP

Government aid for upgrades inadequate, Hong Kong chicken farmers say

Chicken farmers facing a lack of resources resort to the use of antibiotics to minimise losses from diseases in livestock. Photo: Handout

News

Hong Kong

Health & Environment

Admissions prompt calls for tighter control of drugs amid superbug fears


Hong Kong farmers give antibiotics to healthy chickens ... and raise supervision concerns

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Admissions prompt calls for tighter control of drugs amid superbug fears

Admissions prompt calls for tighter control of drugs amid superbug fears