Democrats Want To Keep Local, Mainland Pigs Apart

The Democratic Party is urging the government to keep the Tsuen Wan abattoir for the slaughter of local pigs and use Sheung Shui abattoir only for imported animals, after a case of African swine fever at Sheung Shui led to the closure of both facilities.

Democrats lawmaker Helena Wong, a member of the Legislative Council's panel on food safety and hygiene, made the suggestion on RTHK's City Forum programme. It comes after fresh pork supplies dried up following a cull of 6,000 pigs at Sheung Shui. Supplies are expected to resume on Monday.

"The Democratic Party would like to maintain Tseun Wan slaughterhouse for diversion purposes," she told reporters after the programme. "Mainly to ask that all the locally-raised pigs are sent to Tsuen Wan slaughterhouse for slaughtering, and all the mainland-imported pigs are sent to Sheung Shui, so there should not be cross-contamination, and to protect local agriculture."

She said it remained unclear why the Tusen Wan slaughterhouse had closed, given that there was no evidence that the African swine fever had spread there.

DAB lawmaker Steven Ho, who represents the agriculture and fisheries sector, said he supported the idea in principle, although other factors would have to be considered.

Lam Wing-yuen, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Livestock Industry Association, said local pig farmers were willing to pay higher fees to support Tsuen Wan slaughterhouse. But the president of the Hong Kong Pork Traders General Association, Hui Wai-kin, said there could be logistical problems with the idea.

African swine fever does not affect humans but is deadly to pigs. The mainland has culled more than one million pigs since the first case of the disease was found there in August.