Hong Kong to resume live poultry sale

Hong Kong's Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man on Wednesday said live poultry trade will resume in the territory from Thursday.

Ko said all of the 3360 samples taken from all local poultry farms as well as the 270 samples from Cheung Sha Wan wholesale poultry market tested negative for H7N9 bird flu virus, Xinhua news agency reported.

The government decided to resume live poultry trade on Thursday after assessing the risks.

Ninety out of the some 130 live poultry retail points in Hong Kong were checked by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and have passed the hygiene inspection, Ko said, adding the department will continue to check the remaining ones.

Hong Kong had suspended live poultry trade and all live poultry from the wholesale market were culled after a faecal sample taken from a Tuen Mun retail market tested positive for H7N9 virus last week.

Ko said, the origin of the virus is still under investigation.

--IANS

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