Hong Kong and the Mainland have agreed to enhance measures ensuring the safety of egg and fish supplies.

Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food Carrie Yau and Food Safety Centre Controller Dr Mak Sin-ping today met with State General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection & Quarantine Department of Animal & Plant Quarantine Director General Yu Taiwei and Import & Export Food Security Bureau Director Li Yuanping in Beijing.

Mainland authorities decided that:

* all registered egg farms and companies will be inspected, with those conforming to requirements included in a list to be announced by the end of December on the State General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection & Quarantine's website;

* Mainland eggs and egg products to be exported to Hong Kong will be inspected to ensure they are free of Sudan dyes;

* from January 1, Mainland eggs and egg products exported to Hong Kong must carry labels showing details of their farms and companies, production dates and batches for quicker tracking;

* Mainland eggs and egg products supplied to Hong Kong will have to bear health certificates from January 1; and,

* penalties for Mainland farms and companies selling tainted eggs and egg products will be raised.

Quality assurance

Mrs Yau said: "We welcome the decision. The measures facilitate the trade to import eggs from channels of quality assurance and help enforcement agencies trace the source of eggs more effectively.

"That eggs for supply to Hong Kong should be accompanied with health certificates is a constructive arrangement. Hong Kong consumes about four million eggs daily and imports about 1.7 billion eggs yearly. Yet, some eggs enter into Hong Kong market via other channels.

"We need to introduce further regulation to cope with the implementation of the new measures so that every chain in the system can be monitored."

Fish checks

Meanwhile, both sides noted the freshwater fish farm registration system has ensured the safety of fish supplies to Hong Kong. Guangdong authorities are investigating fish farms after the discovery of trace amounts of a prohibited substance in freshwater fish.

The state administration has pledged to support Hong Kong, including requiring its Guangdong, Shenzhen and Zhuhai bureaux to fully inspect all freshwater fish farms suppling Hong Kong to ensure they comply with health standards, and curbing the supply of fish products from unregistered farms.

Both sides also agreed to explore the mechanism to handle freshwater fish entering Hong Kong through improper channels. The local trade should procure products from manufacturers and exporters complying with Mainland requirements.

Samples safe

Food Safety Centre Consultant Dr Ho Yuk-yin said the latest test results on fish and eggs found no harmful substances.

He said tests on 16 duck and hen eggs found no Sudan dye - the third consecutive day no forbidden substances have been found in the products - adding that he believes authorities have successfully stopped the inflow of problematic eggs.