AlaskaDenise
In Memoriam
Nishika Patel
Friday, November 09, 2007
The government will wheel out freshly slaughtered chicken as well as chilled chicken from a central plant in a bid to appease the food trade, it was announced yesterday.
The plan for a central slaughtering plant, to supply chilled chicken, has sparked a fierce outcry from the catering industry, which warned it would kill their trade in fresh chicken.
Following a study, the government is now proposing to cart out freshly slaughtered chicken stored at seven degrees Celsius or below, for consumption within 24 hours.
"We believe that allowing this option will help enhance the viability of the poultry slaughtering and processing plant, accommodate people's culinary preference and reduce the impact of central slaughtering to live poultry wholesalers and retailers," said a report by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.
The proposals will be thrashed out by the Legislative Council next Tuesday.
But catering sector and Liberal Party lawmaker Tommy Cheung Yu-yan said the plan could be "useless" as normal vans do not have facilities to transport chilled poultry.
The plan is also unlikely to dampen strong opposition to the building of a central plant, which is set for 2011.
"The markets do not want this at all. They will be deprived of fresh chickens now slaughtered in the market," Cheung said.
"The market people say this will run them out of the markets because citizens want to look at the chicken and see it slaughtered. They also think retailers will corner the market by shipping it to their own stores."
The avian flu problem is now under control so there was no need for a central slaughtering plant, Cheung said. "This is a waste of resources. Also why does this need to be done in Hong Kong when it can be done cheaper in Shenzhen?"
The administration will invite open tenders to build the central plant next year.
When completed, all private slaughtering and processing and the selling of live poultry by retailers will be banned.
The report highlighted concerns from players in the live poultry trade, who argue the plant will face stiff competition from mainland processing plants, which would eventually see the live poultry trade wiped out.
Others fear the monopoly over the supply of freshly slaughtered chicken would trigger higher retail prices.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=56529&sid=16203152&con_type=1
Friday, November 09, 2007
The government will wheel out freshly slaughtered chicken as well as chilled chicken from a central plant in a bid to appease the food trade, it was announced yesterday.
The plan for a central slaughtering plant, to supply chilled chicken, has sparked a fierce outcry from the catering industry, which warned it would kill their trade in fresh chicken.
Following a study, the government is now proposing to cart out freshly slaughtered chicken stored at seven degrees Celsius or below, for consumption within 24 hours.
"We believe that allowing this option will help enhance the viability of the poultry slaughtering and processing plant, accommodate people's culinary preference and reduce the impact of central slaughtering to live poultry wholesalers and retailers," said a report by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.
The proposals will be thrashed out by the Legislative Council next Tuesday.
But catering sector and Liberal Party lawmaker Tommy Cheung Yu-yan said the plan could be "useless" as normal vans do not have facilities to transport chilled poultry.
The plan is also unlikely to dampen strong opposition to the building of a central plant, which is set for 2011.
"The markets do not want this at all. They will be deprived of fresh chickens now slaughtered in the market," Cheung said.
"The market people say this will run them out of the markets because citizens want to look at the chicken and see it slaughtered. They also think retailers will corner the market by shipping it to their own stores."
The avian flu problem is now under control so there was no need for a central slaughtering plant, Cheung said. "This is a waste of resources. Also why does this need to be done in Hong Kong when it can be done cheaper in Shenzhen?"
The administration will invite open tenders to build the central plant next year.
When completed, all private slaughtering and processing and the selling of live poultry by retailers will be banned.
The report highlighted concerns from players in the live poultry trade, who argue the plant will face stiff competition from mainland processing plants, which would eventually see the live poultry trade wiped out.
Others fear the monopoly over the supply of freshly slaughtered chicken would trigger higher retail prices.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=56529&sid=16203152&con_type=1