Modernising local chicken farms and improving farmers' awareness of disease control will be prescribed to combat bird flu, a report that will be released on Friday is to reveal.
The report is by a six-member team, led by Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Thomas Chan Chun-yuen, that will this week complete a probe into the recent bird flu outbreak that hit 25 farms in Yuen Long.
Official sources said the report's recommendations would focus on how to improve bio-security measures at chicken farms - many of which are using the same methods as 30 or 40 years ago. The sources said they hoped the report would push through a revolution in disease control measures and management style.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has already reviewed the licensing conditions of chicken farms in order to step up disease control. The number of chickens each farm can keep was capped in February. All chicken farms are also banned from keeping other livestock.
Farms that have been closed as a result of the recent flu outbreak will have to meet these requirements before they can re-open. Farms not affected by the outbreak will have to meet these requirements in three months.
'We will also consider whether any additional bio-security measures are required subject to the investigation team's recommendations,' a spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said.
