Food authorities were seeking information from their mainland counterparts yesterday about a report that some plants processing chilled chicken were sourcing birds from dubious farms.
'We are very concerned about the report,' a spokeswoman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said. 'We have immediately contacted mainland authorities to take follow-up action.'
A Chinese-language newspaper said yesterday that some mainland-approved processing plants had been sourcing chickens - and taking dead ones - from illegal farms with poor hygiene conditions. The report did not name the plants.
There are 14 mainland processing plants approved for the export of chilled chickens to Hong Kong, which began importing chilled chicken in 2005 amid concerns about bird flu. About 26 million chilled chickens were imported last year.
The department said chilled chickens sold in Hong Kong came from processing plants and chicken farms approved by mainland authorities. The department visited the facilities, but monitoring remained the responsibility of mainland authorities.
Legislator Kwok Ka-ki, a member of the Legislative Council panel on health services, said: 'It reflects the need for the strengthening of the chilled-chicken import system.'