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The first consignment of chilled beef imported from the Mainland, weighing about nine metric tonnes, arrived in Hong Kong today (December 31).
A spokesman for the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said that on arrival at the Man Kam To Food Control Office, the consignment was inspected immediately to ensure food safety.
The spokesman said: "Samples were collected from the consignment for testing of veterinary drug residues including beta-adrenergic agonists (so-called leanness-enhancing agents), antibiotics and hormones, etc.
"The first three consignments of chilled beef imported into Hong Kong from each processing plant have to be held and tested. The consignments will only be released for sale in the market after test results of the samples are found to be satisfactory, and a release letter will be issued by the FEHD."
The spokesman added that the chilled beef could only come from registered plants on the Mainland where slaughtering and meat processing procedures are strictly monitored. Each imported consignment must also be accompanied with a health certificate issued by the Mainland authorities.
The CFS of the FEHD has been accepting applications for import of chilled beef from the Mainland since December 7.
Under the arrangement agreed by the State General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) and the CFS, stringent control measures have been implemented to ensure that the imported chilled beef is safe for consumption.
Up to December 30, the FEHD had received 20 applications for permission to import chilled beef from the Mainland, of which 18 have been approved and two are being processed.
Apart from seeking import permission, importers should apply to the FEHD for an import licence for each consignment of imported meat. As at December 30, the department had received eight applications for importing chilled beef from the Mainland, of which three have been approved and five are being processed.
Earlier today, the Permanent Secretary for Food and Health (Food), Mrs Marion Lai; the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene, Mr Clement Leung; and the Controller of the CFS, Dr Constance Chan, attended the kick-off ceremony of the first consignment of Mainland chilled beef imported into Hong Kong at Nanshan agricultural products wholesale market in Shenzhen. Speaking at the ceremony, Mrs Lai expressed her gratitude for the strong support and co-ordination of the Ministry of Commerce, AQSIQ and the Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureaux of various provinces and cities, which enabled the smooth implementation of chilled beef imports from the Mainland.
Mrs Lai said, "The import of chilled beef from the Mainland not only increases food sources so as to diversify food types, it is also conducive to further stabilising the supply of beef in Hong Kong, thus maintaining food prices at a reasonable and stable level."
Ends/Friday, December 31, 2010
Issued at HKT 17:52
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