Quarantine farm to open in 2006
1/11/2005 7:17
Angela Xu/Shanghai Daily news
The city plans to
set up a quarantine farm for livestock and poultry brought into the city without
proper certificates, so the animals can be properly tested for diseases before
they are sold in local markets.
The farm is expected to be completed and go
into operation by the end of next year, officials revealed yesterday.
"The
farm will function to guarantee security and the hygienic condition of animals
and animal products on the local market and stop epidemic diseases from
spreading through transport," said Hou Peixing, deputy director of the Shanghai
Institute of Veterinary Hygienic Supervision.
He said suspicious livestock,
poultry and animal products, such as those with invalid quarantine certificates
or certificates that don't match with the products and are suspected of being
infected with diseases, will be sent to the farm for further
checks.
Livestock is only allowed to enter the city through eight highway
entrances.
Inspectors check the certificates of the products before allowing
them into Shanghai.
The government is tightening up checks these days because
over half of the poultry sold on the local market comes from outside of the
city.
Officials also patrol non-designated entrances to the city, to prevent
people from smuggling chickens into Shanghai. Trucks carrying livestock through
those entrances are stopped, and forced to go back to one of the designated
access points.
"I can assure you that 97 percent of the livestock and poultry
on the market entered the city in the legal way and about 3 percent came in
illegally," said Shi Xingzhong, deputy director of the Shanghai Agricultural
Commission.
He said it is very tough for vendors to sell livestock that is
brought in improperly, because they don't have proper certificates.
The farm,
which is expected to cover about 3,000 square meters, will be located in Jiading
District near the Outer Ring Road so that it is convenient for truckers to bring
livestock for check.
"Only suspicious animals will be sent to the farm.
Animals that are proved to be sick will be disposed directly in a treatment
station for dead livestock and poultry in Fengxian District," Hou said.
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