Poultry split the aim after big cull

The government will study ways to separate mainland chickens from local poultry before sample testing to avoid spreading bird flu.迷你倉旺角 This comes as culling of 20,000 chickens got under way at Cheung Sha Wan wholesale poultry market yesterday. The cull and 21-day suspension of sales of mainland poultry in Hong Kong came after the deadly H7N9 virus was detected in live poultry imported from the Shunde district of Foshan in Guangdong at the wholesale market on Monday. Poultry traders have urged the government to wait for bird flu test results before transporting imported mainland chickens from Man Kam To animal station to the Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Market. Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man said the lack of space at Man Kam To animal station makes it impossible to keep the imported chickens there to await test results. He said the benefits of separating chickens are obvious. ``The government is reserved about locating another wholesale market to separate chickens imported from the mainland and the local ones,'' he said. It is not practical to use the Western Wholesale Food Market as a temporary wholesale poultry market because much of its space has been mini storageented for food, retail or wholesale services, he said. The cull, which began at about 10am, took about 12 hours to complete. Meanwhile, the truck driver who transported the consignment of live chickens to Cheung Sha Wan was admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital yesterday for observation. He has tested negative for the H7 virus, said the Centre for Health Protection. A total of 95 other contacts - 11 staff members of Man Kam To Animal Inspection Station, 35 poultry workers at the Cheung Sha Wan market and 49 workers in the culling - were put under medical surveillance. An officer at Man Kam To developed symptoms but his respiratory specimen tested negative for H7. Others are still being traced, including the wholesale market janitors and Customs and Excise Department staff. University of Hong Kong chair professor of the Department of Microbiology Yuen Kwok-yung said the H7 virus can survive a week in cold weather. While infected chickens had been imported to Hong Kong, the environment might have been contaminated so it would be risky to open another wholesale market. He added that H7N9 is easier to transmit to humans than the more deadly H5N1. hilary.wong@singtaonewscorp.com 迷你倉