The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, and Vice Mayor of Shenzhen Municipal People's Government Ms Zhang Hua, leading delegations of the governments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Shenzhen respectively, held the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Joint Working Group on Environmental Protection meeting in Hong Kong today (February 27). The two parties summarised their work progress since the meeting last year and exchanged views regarding further co-operations and related work for the coming year.
 
     Various collaboration issues were discussed in the meeting, including landfill management, water quality improvement and cross-boundary transportation with new energy. The two parties presented their work progress and shared experiences to deepen exchanges and co-operation on environmental protection. 

     With the joint effort from both sides, odour management at the North East New Territories Landfill has significantly improved. By the end of 2023, restoration and greening works for 80 per cent of the operation areas where landfilling had completed were finished as scheduled. Odour complaints from both places have also been decreased by 80 per cent. As for cross-boundary commercial vehicles using new energy, the two places will continue to liaise with trade and explore having electric goods vehicles for cross-boundary transportation as trial. Furthermore, for water quality improvement, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) and Drainage Services Department (DSD), with the support from Shenzhen, have tested chemical treatment process in Shek Wu Hui Sewage Treatment Works to bring down phosphorus discharge. The total phosphorus amount discharging to Ng Tung River and Shenzhen River has continuously reduced to reach the level 1B of the Discharge Standard for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant.
 
     The two administrations signed a co-operation agreement on enhancing environmental protection for the two places after the meeting. The agreement covers various aspects of work including strengthening pollution management, ecological conservation, combating climate change, promotion and education on ecology. It aims to promulgate the continuous improvement of the ecological environment in Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

     Mr Tse expressed, "2024 is a crucial year for achieving the targets laid out in the National Fourteenth Five-year Plan and promoting the construction of a beautiful China. We will continue to work in line with national environmental protection and conservation goals, and strengthen co-operation with our counterparts in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), Shenzhen in particular. Together, we will accelerate green transformation and strive to make the skies bluer, the mountains greener, and waters clearer in both regions and the whole GBA!"
 
     The Permanent Secretary for Environment and Ecology (Environment), Miss Janice Tse; the Director of Environmental Protection, Dr Samuel Chui; the Acting Director of Drainage Services, Mr Raymond Lee; and representatives from the Environment and Ecology Bureau, the EPD, the DSD and the Transport Department, also attended the meeting.

    

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (February 27) investigating two suspected food poisoning clusters affecting 11 persons, and reminded the public to maintain personal, food and environmental hygiene to prevent foodborne diseases.

     The first cluster involved one male and two females, aged between 28 and 46, who developed abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and generalised weakness about three to 12 hours and 30 minutes after having dinner at a restaurant in Causeway Bay on February 24. One of the affected persons sought medical advice and none required hospitalisation. All affected persons are in stable condition.

     The other cluster involved eight males, aged between 29 and 36, who developed abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, generalised weakness and dizziness about 24 to 46 hours after having dinner from the same restaurant on the same day. Three of the affected persons sought medical advice and none required hospitalisation. All affected persons are in stable condition.

     Initial investigations of the CHP revealed that the affected persons had consumed a variety of common food (including raw oysters and sashimi). The incident might have been caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus and/or norovirus.

     The personnel from the Centre for Food Safety of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department have conducted an inspection at the restaurant. The CHP's investigation is ongoing.

     To prevent foodborne diseases, members of the public are reminded to maintain personal, food and environmental hygiene at all times. When dining out:
 

• Patronise only reliable and licensed restaurants;
• Avoid eating raw seafood;
• Be a discerning consumer in choosing cold dishes, including sashimi, sushi and raw oysters, at a buffet;
• Pre-cooked or leftover foods should be stored and reheated properly before consumption;
• Ensure food is thoroughly cooked before eating during a hotpot or barbecue meal;
• Handle raw and cooked foods carefully and separate them completely during the cooking process;
• Use two sets of chopsticks and utensils to handle raw and cooked foods;
• Do not patronise illegal food hawkers;
• Drink boiled water;
• Do not try to use salt, vinegar, wine or wasabi to kill bacteria as they are not effective; and
• Always wash hands before eating and after going to the toilet.

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (February 27) urged the public not to consume a kind of imported prepackaged pork jerky product, as the product might contain sudan dyes, a colouring matter which is not permitted in food. The CFS is following up on the case.

     Product details are as follows:

Product name: SPICY PORK JERKY SLICED
Brand: (Not available in English)
Place of origin: Taiwan
Net weight: 150 grams
Best-before date: August 10, 2024 – February 6, 2025
Importer and Agent: SANWORLD (H.K.) DEVELOPMENT LIMITED

     A spokesman for the CFS said, "The CFS, through its Food Incident Surveillance System, noted a notification from the Taiwan authority that the above-mentioned product might have used an ingredient which contained sudan dyes. Upon learning of the incident, the CFS immediately contacted the retailer for follow-up. A preliminary investigation found that the above-mentioned vendor had sold the affected batch of the product concerned.

     For the sake of prudence, the above-mentioned vendor has stopped sales and removed from shelves the affected product, and has initiated a recall according to the CFS's instructions. Members of the public may call its hotline at 2323 3028 during office hours for enquiries about the recall.

     The spokesman said, "Sudan dyes are synthetic chemical dyes for industrial use. Under the Colouring Matter in Food Regulations (Cap. 132H), sudan dyes are not permitted in food. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $50,000 and six months' imprisonment."

     The CFS has alerted the trade and will continue to follow up on the case and take appropriate action. The CFS has also enhanced relevant surveillance and will closely monitor the latest developments in the Taiwan authority's recalls of incriminated food. An investigation is ongoing.

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
 
     The Legislative Council (LegCo) Subcommittee on Matters Relating to the Promotion of New Industrialization visited the smart production lines funded by the Innovation and Technology Fund in Tai Po InnoPark today (February 27) to learn about traditional industries' upgrading and transformation through the use of innovation and technology.
 
     Members first visited Luen Tai Hong Kong Fresh Liquid Eggs Limited to learn about the project of smart production line for the production of fresh liquid eggs. Members noticed that the company was funded $14.9 million in 2022 by the Re‑industrialisation Funding Scheme (RFS) (renamed as New Industrialisation Funding Scheme effective from October 25, 2023) under the Innovation and Technology Fund to set up a smart production line with the assistance of the Hong Kong Productivity Council to enhance the production efficiency for fresh liquid egg products. The project adopts smart manufacturing technologies to lower the production cost by 30 per cent to 50 per cent, while increasing the daily production of fresh liquid eggs.
 
     Members then went to Vita Green Pharmaceutical (Hong Kong) Limited. The company was granted $15 million from RFS in 2022 for setting up the smart production line for tea capsules. Members received a briefing and learnt that the smart production line reduces human errors and enhances productivity with the automation of complex processes. Packaging paper and plastic are also reduced during production, achieving better environmental benefits.
 
     At the invitation of the Government, Members who participated in the visit were the Chairman of the Subcommittee, Mr Jimmy Ng; Subcommittee members Mr Dennis Leung and Professor William Wong.

      

     The Department of Justice (DoJ) welcomed the notice issued by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) yesterday (February 26) on the details of the 2024 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Legal Professional Examination (GBA Examination). The examination will be held on June 29 in Shenzhen and Zhuhai, Guangdong. Eligible applicants can apply to sit for the examination through the website of the MoJ from March 1 to 10. For more details, please visit: www.moj.gov.cn/pub/sfbgw/zwxxgk/fdzdgknr/fdzdgknrtzwj/202402/t20240226_495031.html (in Chinese only).
 
     The GBA Examination was successfully held three times. Currently, over 380 Hong Kong and Macao legal practitioners have passed the examination and obtained the Lawyer's License (Guangdong-Hongkong-Macao Greater Bay Area) to provide legal services in the nine Mainland municipalities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) on specified civil and commercial matters to which the Mainland laws apply. The period of the pilot scheme for Hong Kong and Macao legal practitioners to practise in the nine Mainland municipalities in the GBA was for a period of three years and would originally have expired on October 4 last year. The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress passed a decision in September last year to extend the period of the pilot scheme until October 4, 2026. The General Office of the State Council also revised the relevant pilot measures and lowered the practice experience threshold for enrolment in the GBA Examination from five years to three years.
 
     The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, said, "I am thankful to the MoJ for their tremendous efforts in implementing the fourth GBA Examination. With the benefit of the lowered practice experience threshold, more Hong Kong and Macao legal practitioners will be eligible to enrol in the GBA Examination this year. I wish to encourage young Hong Kong barristers and solicitors to actively enrol in the examination, obtain dual qualification on the Mainland and Hong Kong, and seize the unlimited opportunities brought by the developments in the GBA as soon as possible."
 
     The DoJ will continue to work closely with authorities including the MoJ and the Department of Justice of Guangdong Province in their work to implement the fourth GBA Examination.