Hong Kong conservation authority announced Thursday that a
number of new licensing conditions would be introduced to prohibit
pet bird traders from selling birds of unknown sources.
Traders' representatives from the Bird Garden in Mong Kok were
briefed by the officials of the authority on Thursday afternoon on
a package of measures that aimed at strengthening regulatory
control of pet birds for sale.
They were also told that all of the 78 shop owners would be
provided with a one-off ex-gratia payment of 10,000 HK dollars each
as well as a one-month waiver to relieve their plight during the
temporary closure of the Bird Garden.
To further improve the sanitary conditions of the Bird Garden,
the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of the Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region government will require shop
owners to conduct regular thorough cleansing on a monthly
basis.
A department spokesman said the new licensing conditions would
ensure that all the birds kept in the premises of licensed animal
traders were from approved sources.
"The birds should either be legally imported into Hong Kong
accompanied by valid health certificates or acquired from other
licensed animal traders and covered by documentation, such as
invoices and sale receipts, detailing the species, quantity, date
of transaction and source," he said.
"In case the birds are hatched from eggs laid by birds owned by
licensed animal traders, the licensee must report to the department
before hatching birds and seek the department's agreement before
the hatched birds are put on sale," he said.
Under the new conditions, only birds free from infectious
diseases are allowed to be sold. "Trade-in" of birds from clients
and display for sale on behalf of clients and persons other than
licensed animal traders are prohibited, he said.
(Xinhua News Agency June 22, 2007)