A regional abattoir capable of slaughtering 8,000 chickens an hour is being planned for Western District as the government's first step towards centralised slaughtering of poultry.
The government issued a consultation paper last April on various measures, including centralised or regional slaughtering, to separate live chickens and people to reduce the risk of bird flu spreading to people. The consultation, which ended in July, drew 10,000 submissions.
Health officials will brief the Legislative Council on the results next Tuesday.
'We will not jump to any conclusion, we will just present the figures to the public for a rational debate on the issue, which has been dragging for quite a long time,' a government source said.
The source said it was expected the automated slaughterhouse, based on a Dutch model, would cost more than $100 million.
Fresh-chicken traders strongly oppose plans to take the slaughtering process away from their stalls, which they say will seriously affect their business. Some sellers worry they will have to line up for a long time to have their chickens killed.
But the government source said the slaughterhouse would be able to meet demand. 'We are talking about a trial run only and every hour the slaughterhouse can process 8,000 chickens, quite a fast speed,' he said.