Poultry traders and farmers said the sales and prices of live chickens in Hong Kong remained stable yesterday.
Stephen Wong Wai-chuen, chairman of the Hong Kong Poultry Retailers' Association, said more than 160,000 chickens were sold in the morning - 40,000 more than usual.
'Sales are increasing these days as chickens are customary dishes at Lunar New Year,' Mr Wong said. 'As Hong Kong has not had any bird flu case this year, the recent cases [in other Asian countries] have not had any adverse impact on local sales yet.'
He said prices remained stable, with wholesale prices ranging from $11 to $13 a kilogram and retail prices from $18 to $24.
Tsui Ming-tuen, chairman of the Hong Kong Live Poultry Wholesale Association, said operations at Cheung Sha Wan wholesale market were normal yesterday and sales had not been affected by the recent outbreaks.
Mr Tsui said strict hygiene measures - such as requiring all vehicles that transport live chickens and chicken cages to undergo sterilisation after each journey - had been imposed on the wholesale market to guard against the threat of bird flu.
