The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) today (November 12) carried out an exercise to review the preparedness of the AFCD and other departments in case a poultry culling operation is required in response to an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Hong Kong.
 
     About 110 staff members of the AFCD, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health and the Civil Aid Service took part in the exercise, codenamed "Bluebell", to familiarise themselves with the work procedures and biosecurity measures necessary for carrying out the operation, and to test the response plans.
 
     A field command centre and a mock chicken farm were set up at the exercise venue for participants to carry out their front-line duties, which included mobilising staff and resources, setting up different operation areas in the mock chicken farm, and following personal biosecurity guidelines when entering and leaving the mock chicken farm.
 
     A spokesman for the AFCD pointed out that avian influenza has occurred from time to time in different parts of the world, and Hong Kong should stay vigilant at all times. The exercise has been held annually and can ensure that the relevant departments stand ready to execute effectively the contingency plan in case a culling operation in Hong Kong is necessary.
 
     The spokesman stressed that the Government will continue to implement diligently the prevention and control measures, and urged the poultry trade and the general public to remain vigilant and help guard against avian influenza viruses.
 
     In addition, the Government will step up surveillance before the winter season. These measures include conducting surprise inspections targeting local poultry farms and pet bird shops, the collection of more samples from the wholesale poultry market and retail outlets for tests on avian influenza, and enhanced actions to combat the illegal import of live birds at boundary control points.
 
     The AFCD has notified the World Organisation for Animal Health of the exercise.

      

     To encourage waste reduction and recycling and enable the community to prepare for the implementation of municipal solid waste (MSW) charging, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) is partnering with 19 organisations to launch trial projects in four sectors, namely public housing estates, rural areas, shopping malls and the catering trade, to allow participants to get first-hand experience of the quantity-based charging arrangements.
      
     Speaking at a launch ceremony for the trials today (November 12), the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, said that while MSW charging sits at the centre of the Government's overall waste reduction strategy, publicity, public education and stakeholders' participation hold the key to the implementation of MSW charging. Therefore, the Government is proactively strengthening collaboration with stakeholders from different sectors in launching trial projects so as to enhance the public understanding of waste charging and encourage the community to practise waste reduction and recycling.
      
     Mr Wong said, "The trials will commence this month and will last for 10 to 12 months and involve over 120 premises. Mindful that participants may face different circumstances in different premises even in the same sector, we have selected a variety of premises to take part in the trial projects." He thanked the partnering organisations for their co-operation and support for launching the trial projects.
 
     The EPD will provide the participating premises with designated garbage bags of different sizes and designs for free to try out the charging arrangements. The EPD will also review the supportive arrangements on waste reduction and recycling at participating premises and provide them with recycling bins on a needs basis. During the trials, various publicity and public education activities will be organised to enrich participants' understanding of the waste charging scheme, source separation of waste and clean recycling, and to encourage all sectors to value resources and reduce waste in order to "dump less, save more".
      
     For more details about the trial projects, please visit the EPD's website on MSW charging at www.mswcharging.gov.hk.
      
     In addition, today's event also heralded the launch of the fourth batch of MSW charging community involvement projects funded by the Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF).
 
     Mr Wong pointed out that although community involvement projects are voluntary in nature and do not involve actual charging, the waste disposal rate of participating premises from around 30 completed projects dropped by about 10 per cent, while the amount of recyclables collected by the participating premises increased by about 20 per cent. He said that he expects the actual waste reduction upon the implementation of MSW charging will be even greater.
      
     The funding scheme for community involvement projects on MSW charging has attracted applications from various non-profit-making organisations and bodies since 2015. Among the applications, more than 80 projects have been approved, involving total funding support of around $75 million and covering over 700 different premises, including residential estates, single-block buildings, commercial and industrial premises, rural areas, public institutions and community service units. The 28 approved projects under the fourth batch of community involvement projects, involving 286 different premises and total funding of around $23 million, will commence in the first quarter of 2019. The application period for the fifth batch of projects will also start in the same period and the projects will commence from the end of 2019 to early 2020. 
      
     For more details of community involvement projects, please visit the ECF's website at www.ecf.gov.hk/tc/home/index.html.
 
     Other officiating guests at today's MSW Charging – Launching Ceremony for Trial Projects and 4th Batch of Community Involvement Projects included member of the Panel on Environmental Affairs of the Legislative Council Mr Tony Tse; the Chairman of the Advisory Council on the Environment, Mr Stanley Wong; and the Deputy Chairman of the Advisory Council on the Environment, Professor Nora Tam.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
 
     The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) strives to provide affordable public rental housing (PRH) for qualified low-income families. The newly completed Mun Tung Estate in Tung Chung started tenant intake today (November 12).
 
     The four non-standard domestic blocks, named Mun Wo House, Mun Shun House, Mun Hong House and Mun Tai House range from 31 to 40 storeys in height, providing a total of 3 866 PRH units for about 11 800 residents. There are Type A flats (one/two-person), Type B flats (two/three-person), Type C flats (three/four-person) and Type D flats (four/five-person), with internal floor areas ranging from about 14 to 36 square metres and monthly rents from $847 to $2,200.
 
     "Rural touches and pastoral greening have been added to the design features of Mun Tung Estate to complement the surrounding environment. The estate has an aggregate green ratio of almost 30 per cent of the landscaped open spaces," a spokesman for the HA said. He added that the design layout, a breezeway from east to west allows breezes to pass freely between blocks, and creating space in the estate to appreciate the beautiful scenery nearby.
 
     Noise mitigation measures are adopted in the design, such as a noise barrier near Mun Hong House along Tung Chung Road to prevent noise from the highway. Noise barrier fins are also provided at the external wall of the domestic blocks to reduce the noise from moving cars.
 
     Mun Tung Estate offers a number of recreational facilities including community play areas, a basketball court, badminton court and table-tennis tables. In addition, there will be a community farm for residents' use.
 
     For retail facilities, the estate provides a retail/welfare block named "Joysmark" with a total area of ​​nearly 2 800 square meters. There are 13 shops and a market to provide residents with shopping choices.

        

     The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, will depart for Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, tomorrow (November 13) to attend the 30th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministerial Meeting to be held on November 15.
 
     The Ministerial Meeting will comprise two plenary sessions themed on "Improving Connectivity, Deepening Regional Economic Integration" and "Promoting Sustainable and Inclusive Growth Through Structural Reform". Mr Yau will attend both plenary sessions to exchange views with ministers of the other 20 member economies on the state of the regional and global economies, efforts to deepen regional economic integration, and how to promote sustainable, innovative and inclusive growth through structural reform.
 
     On the sidelines of the Ministerial Meeting, Mr Yau will meet with trade ministers of other APEC member economies to discuss bilateral trade and economic relations as well as issues of mutual concern.
 
     Mr Yau will return to Hong Kong on November 17. During his absence, the Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Bernard Chan, will be the Acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development.

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Monday, November 12, 2018 is 106.1 (up 0.2 against last Saturday's index).

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Saturday, November 10, 2018 was 105.9 (up 0.1 against last Friday's index).