Import Inspection of Live Food Animals

The Import Inspection Unit under the Veterinary Public Health Section is responsible for the import inspection of live food animals to ensure the safe supply of live food animals for human consumption . There are three inspection stations in Hong Kong, namely Man Kam To Animal Inspection Station, Lok Ma Chau Livestock Contamination Monitoring Station and Cheung Sha Wan Import Poultry Inspection Station at Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry Market. Their main duties are:

Import Inspection of Live Poultry

The import inspection work for live poultry at Man Kam To Animal Inspection Station includes:

• Verifying and collecting Animal Health Certificates accompanied with the live poultry
• Inspecting the poultry for any injury or clinical sign of disease;
• Collecting blood samples and cloacal swabs from the poultry for laboratory testing of avian influenza H5; and
• Ensuring that the transportation of the poultry is of acceptable animal welfare standards.

Common Imported Species

ü	Chicken	ü	Silky Chicken
ü	Pigeon	ü	Guinea Fowl
ü	Common Pheasant	ü	Chukar

Inspection Procedure

Upon inspection at Man Kam To Animal Inspection Station, the relevant health certificate is veritifed and collected . After physical inspection of the poultry consignment, blood samples and cloacal swabs are taken for testing of antibody level and avian influenza virus respectively at the Veterinary Laboratory of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. The carrying compartment of the truck is then sealed and a record of movement is issued. The inspected poultry are transported directly to Cheung Sha Wan Import Poultry Inspection Station and the intactness of the seals is checked .The poultry can be released for sale once the test results from the Veterinary Laboratory confirm that they are free from H5 avian influenza virus.

For further information, please refer to:

• Guide for importation of live poultry from the Mainland.pdf
• Statistics on imported food animals.pdf

Import Inspection of Livestock

The import inspection work for livestock at Man Kam To Animal Inspection Station includes:

• Verifying and collecting Animal Health Certificates accompanied with the livestock;
• Inspecting the livestock for any injury or clinical sign of disease;
• Checking the tattoo marks on pigs or ear tag numbers on cattle and goats against the information on the Animal Health Certificates; and
• Ensuring that the transportation of the livestock is of acceptable animal welfare standards

Common Imported Species

ü	Swine
ü	Cattle
ü	Goat

Inspection Procedure

Upon inspection at Man Kam To Animal Inspection Station, the relevant health certificates are collected and verified. The tattoo numbers on pigs or the ear tag numbers on cattle/goats are checked against the information on the health certificates. After conducting physical inspection, the carrying compartment of the truck is sealed and a record of movement is issued. Finally, the livestock are transported to the slaughterhouses.

For further information, please refer to:

• Guide for importation of livestock from the Mainland.pdf
• Statistics on imported food animals.pdf

Import Inspection of Live Aquaculture Products

The import inspection work for live aquaculture products at Man Kam To Animal Inspection Station includes:

• Verifying and collecting Animal Health Certificates accompanied with the aquaculture products;
• Inspecting the aquaculture products; and
• Ensuring that the transportation of the aquaculture products is of acceptable animal welfare standards.

Common Imported Species of Freshwater Fish

ü	Bighead Carp	ü	Freshwater Bream
ü	Grass Carp	ü	Japanese Sea Perch
ü	Marble Goby	ü	Snakehead
ü	Edible Goldfish	ü	Common Carp
ü	Eel	ü	Loach
ü	Grey Mullet	ü	Large Mouth Bass
ü	Freshwater Grouper	ü	Small Snakehead
ü	Mud Carp	ü	Tilapia
ü	Tench	ü	Ricefield Eel
ü	Catfish

Inspection Procedure for Freshwater Fish and Hairy Crabs

Importers should submit the Animal Health Certificates issued by local Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureaux and the Food Import Declaration Form upon inspection at Man Kam To Animal Inspection Station. Samples may be taken for testing when necessary.

Common Imported Species of Seafood and Shellfish

ü	Lobster	ü	Boston Lobster
ü	Tiger Prawn	ü	Japanese King Prawn
ü	Mantis Shrimp	ü	Red Crab
ü	Blue Crab	ü	Mud Crab
ü	Common Basket Lucina	ü	Blood Cockle
ü	Fan Scallop	ü	Japanese Scallop
ü	Spiral Babylon	ü	Mud Snail
ü	Pond Snail	ü	Green Mussel
ü	Sand Clam	ü	Hard Clam
ü	Oyster	ü	Conch
ü	Abalone	ü	Geoduck
ü	Razor Shell	ü	Fan Shell

Inspection Procedure for Seafood and Shellfish

Importers should submit the Food Import Declaration Form upon inspection at Man Kam To Animal Inspection Station. Samples may be taken for testing when necessary.

Import Inspection of Live Food Reptiles

The import inspection work for live food reptiles at Man Kam To Animal Inspection Station includes:

• Verifying and collecting Animal Health Certificates accompanied with the food reptiles;
• Inspecting the food reptiles; and
• Ensuring that the transportation of the reptiles is of acceptable animal welfare standards.

Common Imported Species

ü	Snake
ü	Turtles
ü	Soft-shell turtles
ü	Lizard

Inspection Procedure

Importers should submit the Animal Health Certificates issued by local Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureaux and the Food Import Declaration Form upon inspection at Man Kam To Animal Inspection Station. Samples may be taken for testing when necessary.

For further information, please refer to:

• Statistics on imported food animals.pdf