Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ2: Import of cats and dogs
Following is a question by the Hon Jimmy Ng and a written reply by the Secretary
for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today (February
22):
Question:
Under the law, a person must obtain in advance a special permit from the
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) for the import of cats
and dogs. AFCD classifies various countries and places into three groups, and
imposes different quarantine requirements on importing cats and dogs from
countries and places in different groups. Cats and dogs imported from Group I
and Group II countries/places are normally exempt from quarantine while those
from Group III countries/places (including the Mainland and the Macau Special
Administrative Region) are subject to a minimum 120-day quarantine at the two
Animal Management Centres under AFCD. In this connection, will the Government
inform this Council:
(1) regarding the aforesaid three groups of countries/places, in each of the
past five years:
(i) of the respective numbers of applications received and approved by AFCD for
the import of cats and dogs (with a breakdown, by country/place, of such numbers
and the numbers of cats and dogs involved);
(ii) of the numbers of appeal cases received by AFCD from applicants against
AFCD's decisions to reject their applications for importing cats and dogs; and
(iii) of the numbers of applications approved by AFCD for importing cats and
dogs from the Mainland and from the Macau Special Administrative Region
respectively, and the numbers of cats and dogs involved;
(2) of the reasons why cats and dogs imported from Group III countries/places
are subject to quarantine at designated Animal Management Centres while those
from Group I and Group II countries/places are exempt from quarantine; the
average numbers of days for which imported cats and dogs were kept in quarantine
at Animal Management Centres in each of the past five years;
(3) given that AFCD updates from time to time the grouping of countries/places
based on their rabies situation and other factors, of the details of such
situation and factors, and how frequent the grouping of countries/places is
reviewed;
(4) of the countries/places the group to which they belonged was changed by AFCD
in each of the past five years, and (i) the reasons for and the dates of the
changes, and (ii) the groups to which those countries/places belonged before and
after such changes, broken down by country/place;
(5) whether it knows if rabies cases were found in the Mainland and the Macau
Special Administrative Region in the past five years; if there were such cases,
of the number and details; if not, whether AFCD will consider reclassifying
those two places into Group II; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for
that; and
(6) of the reasons why the sizes of the basic kennel and cattery rooms (not less
than 4 m2 and 1.35 m2 respectively) at the Hong Kong Animal Management Centre
are currently smaller than the corresponding sizes at the Kowloon Animal
Management Centre (not less than 6.83 m2 and 2.4 m2 respectively); whether the
authorities will unify their sizes?
Reply:
President,
According to the Public Health (Animals and Birds) Regulations (Cap. 139A) and
the Rabies Regulation (Cap. 421A), the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation
Department (AFCD) regulates the import of cats and dogs from other places
through a permit system, with a view to preventing the transmission of animal
diseases and rabies into Hong Kong. Rabies is a contagious disease, causing
animal (not limited to dogs) and human fatality. Nearly 60 000 people die of
rabies in the world (including Asian areas) every year. Hong Kong has a good
track record in rabies control, with no locally-infected animal case of rabies
since 1987.
My reply to the various parts of the question is as follows.
(1) to (3) For importation of cats and dogs, AFCD classifies places of different
risk of rabies into three groups in order to safeguard public health. Group I
includes rabies-free countries/places (i.e. where rabies has been absent for a
long time); Group II includes countries/places where rabies cases are few and
under effective control; and Group III includes countries/places where rabies
cases are reported and not under effective control. In general, the
countries/places which do not meet the requirements of Group I or II (or their
situations cannot be determined) will be included in Group III.
AFCD has taken into considerations the information about the surveillance and
control of animal diseases provided by the World Organisation for Animal Health
(OIE) and other relevant factors, when determining the above classification.
Since Groups I and II countries/places are considered of lower risk of rabies,
cats and dogs imported from these countries/places are exempt from quarantine,
provided that the relevant requirements (e.g. vaccinated as required, with valid
supporting documents) could be fulfilled. Since the risk of rabies is higher or
uncertain in Group III countries/places, and the incubation period of rabies in
animals can be months-long, AFCD generally requires a quarantine period of no
less than 120 days for the cats and dogs imported from these countries/places,
with a view to preventing the transmission of rabies into Hong Kong. AFCD will
keep in view the OIE's latest notification of animal diseases and make
adjustments to the arrangements as and when necessary.
The applications received and approved by AFCD for the import of cats and dogs
(including those imported from the Mainland and Macau) in the past five years
are set out at Annex.
(4) In the past five years, in the light of the outbreak of rabies in Taiwan and
Malaysia, Taiwan was re-classified from Group I to Group II and Malaysia from
Group II to Group III, respectively in 2013 and 2015. Malaysia was re-classified
back to Group II last year upon assessment by AFCD.
(5) In view of persistent rabies cases in the Mainland, and a lack of
information from the OIE about the surveillance and control of animal diseases
in Macau, both the Mainland and Macau are put under Group III.
(6) Sizes of the kennel and cattery rooms at each animal management centre may
vary depending on their physical environment, design and operation. AFCD will
consider further enhancing the facilities having regard to future development
needs.
Ends/Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Issued at HKT 18:20
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LCQ2 Annex