Meat supplier agrees to hear traders' beef

Ng Fung Hong, the sole supplier of mainland beef to Hong Kong, has agreed to meet traders next week after protesters demonstrated outside its Wan Chai office for four hours yesterday.

Holding banners and chanting slogans, traders also protested outside the Murray Building, calling on the government to open up the beef-supply market and seeking a meeting with Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food York Chow Yat-ngok.

Chung Siu-kai, director of the Hong Kong Beef and Mutton Merchants' Association, said Ng Fung Hong was not capable of supplying the city with sufficient cattle. He said the government had no choice but to open up the market.

In Wan Chai, more than 10 association representatives gathered outside Ng Fung Hong's office to protest against the recent fluctuation in beef supplies from the mainland. They claimed they would not buy cattle yesterday unless Ng Fung Hong was willing to meet them.

A total of 104 cattle were imported to the city yesterday, accounting for about 80 per cent of average daily imports from the mainland.

The representatives were dissatisfied with Ng Fung Hong for failing to react to the problem of insufficient cattle and the rising beef price, saying the supplier showed no sincerity to resolve the problems.