$1.7b for new abattoir

APPROVAL of $1.7 billion is being sought from the Legislative Council to build a slaughterhouse in Sheung Shui.

The building would replace abattoirs in Kennedy Town, Cheung Sha Wan and Yuen Long.

The administration said slaughterhouses in urban areas had caused serious environmental problems.

The only solution was to replace them as soon as possible.

It said the new site, which would be able to handle 5,000 pigs and 400 cattle daily, would not cause any major problems.

The Government said the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation had agreed to construct a railway siding on the site to help the direct delivery of animals from China.