Local breeders seek temporary ban on chicken imports

Allowing live chickens from the mainland to mix with local poultry at a wholesale market before bird flu tests were complete was "unlawful and irrational", local farmers argued as they sought a temporary ban on imports.

But Mr Justice Au Hing-cheung yesterday agreed to adjourn his decision until Tuesday after hearing that Secretary for Food and Health Dr Ko Wing-man would "make an announcement" on live chicken imports on Monday, after talks with mainland authorities.

The New Territories Chicken Breeders Association wants the High Court to issue an injunction against the director of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department to stop imports of the birds until the department can devise a way to keep local and mainland poultry apart.

It wants the court to order the government to hold talks with mainland authorities to reduce chicken imports, provide "sufficiently separate" wet markets for local and imported chickens, and provide facilities for imported chickens to be kept until bird flu tests can be completed.

The application was made after the government last month ordered the slaughter of all 20,000 birds - local and imported - at the Cheung Sha Wan wholesale market. The cull on January 28 came after a sample from a chicken imported from Guangdong tested positive for the deadly H7N9 strain of bird flu.

"Because of the lack of facilities to house the imported live chickens pending the test results, the senior veterinary officer in effect has made a decision that puts local live chickens at risk of infection by the imported live chickens," the association said in its application for a judicial review.

The government's actions were "contrary to [its] constitutional obligation" under Article 119 of the Basic Law, which requires the government to "promote and co-ordinate the development of various trades such as ... agriculture and fisheries".