Official sources report that the government has decided to shelve the development of a poultry slaughtering centre as the latest scientific assessment shows the risk of avian influenza in the city is now very low, said Hong Kong's Secretary for Food and Health, York Chow yesterday (1 June).

Dr Chow said: "The decision is based on science, with the health of the public as an overriding concern," adding scientific data shows the risk of human infection by avian flu has been reduced to a minimal level.

The University of Hong Kong's ongoing surveillance conducted in retail outlets found the isolation rate of H9N2 viruses has significantly dropped – from 5.11 per cent in 2008, to 0.09 per cent recently.

He said the policy on banning the overnight stocking of live poultry at the retail level, as well as the number and rearing capacity of local chicken farms, the number of live poultry retail outlets and the quantity of imported chickens, will be kept unchanged. Also the government will bolster surveillance at all levels and regularly review the bird flu risk.