Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

LCQ19: Advancing development of poultry and livestock farming industry 
Question:
 
     The Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly propose “enhancing the overall production capacity of agriculture”, that “fresh headway should be made in keeping our skies blue, waters clear, and lands clean”, as well as “pressing ahead with initiatives to invigorate the seed industry”; and the Ecological and Environmental Code, which was endorsed at the fourth session of the 14th National People’s Congress on the 12 of this month, sets out mandatory provisions concerning the prevention and control of pollution from livestock and poultry farming and slaughtering, the fostering of resource recycling, ecological protection as well as the strengthening of food security, etc. There are views that Hong Kong should dovetail with the strategic arrangements on national agricultural development to promote the standardised implementation and high-quality development of local poultry and livestock farming projects. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) as the Government will formulate Hong Kong’s five-year plan to dovetail with the National 15th Five-Year Plan, whether the Government has plans to include policy initiatives that seek to advance the development of poultry and livestock farming projects so as to dovetail with the national arrangements on smart farming and biosecurity; how the Government will strengthen co-operation with local research institutions to encourage the promotion of technologies pertaining to precise feeding as well as the undertaking of research and development (R&D) relating to premium poultry and livestock farming techniques;
 
(2) regarding the quarantine and hygiene measures for the poultry and livestock farming industry, how the Government (i) establishes mechanisms on regular monitoring, investigation and emergency response; (ii) ensures the full implementation of inspection and quarantine measures throughout the farming process to effectively prevent the risk of transmission of major animal diseases (such as African swine fever), whilst taking into account the needs of poultry and livestock farming; and (iii) assist the industry in properly addressing issues relating to feed contamination and the waste generated from the farming process; and
 
(3) how the Government assists the industry in dovetailing with the national direction of enhancing self-reliance and control over poultry and livestock provenance, and formulates measures in support of provenance R&D, the introduction of superior breeds and their localised cultivation, so as to enhance the core competitiveness of the poultry and livestock industry?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The reply to the question raised by the Hon Chan Pok-chi is as follows:
 
(1) To align with the National 15th Five-Year Plan, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is formulating the first Hong Kong’s Five-Year Plan in full steam to provide clear guidance for Hong Kong’s socio-economic and livelihood development. As far as the agriculture and fisheries industries are concerned, the Government proactively drives the local agriculture and fisheries industries towards high-quality development in accordance with the Blueprint for the Sustainable Development of Agriculture and Fisheries, so as to go in line with the strategic direction of “accelerating agricultural and rural modernisation” as stated in the National 15th Five-Year Plan, as well as the overall plan to “enhance the comprehensive production capacity of agriculture” and develop “intensified farming”.
 
     To assist the livestock farming industry in upgrading and transformation, the Government is proactively driving the industry to build Hong Kong’s first modernised environmentally-friendly multi-storey pig farm at a site in Lo Wu, with the site formation works expected to be completed within this year. The contractor and operator will also be selected in the second quarter of this year. The pig farm is expected to commence operation by 2032 and will adopt an intensified and modernised mode, coupled with smart technologies such as automated environmental control and precision feeding system and the Internet of Things, to raise farming efficiency and biosecurity standards, with a view to achieving sustainable development. The design and operational model will also strictly comply with the laws and regulations on animal welfare, environmental protection and public health, etc.
 
     Besides, through the Sustainable Agricultural Development Fund, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) subsidises the industry to develop and apply modernised livestock farming technologies, such as formulating the Architectural Design Guidelines for Multilayer Livestock Farms and projects that enhance the capability of pig farms in handling odour emission, etc. The AFCD will continue to encourage local universities and research institutions to collaborate with the sector in undertaking different kinds of research and development projects on high-quality livestock farming technology, with a view to enhancing the overall standards of smart farming and biosecurity of the local industry.
 
(2) In terms of disease surveillance, local livestock farms are regulated under the Public Health (Animals and Birds) (Licensing of Livestock Keeping) Regulation (Cap. 139L), and are required to implement disease surveillance (such as African Swine Fever (ASF) testing in pig carcasses) and biosecurity measures, etc, in accordance with the requirements of livestock keeping licences. The AFCD has been strictly monitoring animal health and public health conditions at local livestock farms and implementing a host of ongoing prevention and control measures, such as arranging regular testing (including ASF virus testing), to ensure early detection and management of potential risks of disease.
 
     The multi-storey pig farm will adopt a fully-enclosed design, which can substantially reduce the impact of pathogens and contaminants from wild animals and the external environment on pigs’ health, effectively prevent direct contact between pigs and the outside environment, and significantly lower the risk of disease transmission. In addition, the multi-storey pig farm will be equipped with ventilation and filtration systems to block airborne pathogens and pollutants, thereby further reducing infection risks while enhancing biosecurity levels. The farm will be equipped with real-time round-the-clock monitoring systems to track pigs’ health, allowing for early detection and follow-up of potential health issues of pigs, and at the same time more efficiently monitoring the proper execution of biosecurity protocols by the workers. The AFCD will conduct regular drills simulating the outbreaks of disease in collaboration with the operator of the multi-storey pig farm, so that the pig farm workers could be familiarised with the emergency response procedures to ensure rapid and appropriate responses in the event of disease outbreaks.
 
     On feed management, the multi-storey pig farm will employ precision feeding systems with the use of sealed feed silos and fully enclosed pipelines, which could not only stop birds and pests from contacting the feed, but also effectively prevent the feed from moisture, mould growth, or contamination by external pathogens in the course of storage and distribution. Feed procurement and storage conditions are also subject to strict control to minimise contamination risks caused by the feed to the overall environmental hygiene at source. For livestock waste treatment, it is explicitly specified in the livestock keeping licence that pig farms must be equipped with modernised wastewater treatment technology and enclosed deodorisation systems to ensure that livestock waste and odours are properly converted and treated and in strict compliance with the environmental discharge standards, thereby minimising the impact on the surrounding environment.
 
(3) The Government has all along been collaborating with the Mainland in various areas of agriculture and fisheries. In particular, the AFCD signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Facilitation of Technological Exchange and Co-operation on Sustainable Development of Agriculture with the Guangdong Province in 2024 to further deepen technological exchanges and co-operation between the two places on livestock farming. The AFCD has also led delegations consisting of local stakeholders (including Legislative Council members, representatives of livestock industry associations and local pig farmers) for field visits to large-scale pig farms in the Mainland on multiple occasions, so as to understand their operation mode, biosecurity and animal disease control measures and draw on the experience of the Mainland in designing and managing multi-storey pig farms.
 
     With reference to the successful experience in the Mainland, AI technology will be introduced into the multi-storey pig farm to provide scientific data support for performance testing and selection of superior breeds by precisely monitoring key parameters such as the health status and growth of each breeding pig, with the aim to contribute to our country’s research and development on livestock breeds. In addition, the AFCD is exploring with Mainland breeding pig breeder enterprises the feasibility of importing breeding pigs from national-accredited high-end breeding pig nurseries in the Mainland to local pig farms, so as to prepare for the introduction of superior breeds and localised cultivation in the multi-storey pig farm.
Issued at HKT 12:22

NNNN

LCQ21: Measures to support middle-class people 
Question:
 
     There are views that despite the increasing burden on middle-class families in terms of children’s education, housing costs, healthcare expenditure, professional enhancement and retirement protection, the Government’s existing measures (such as introducing the child allowance, increasing the ceiling amount for concessionary deductions allowable for home loan interest and domestic rent, and providing further education subsidies and vocational training) have failed to adequately respond to the actual needs of the middle class. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) given that, in reply to a Member’s question at the special meeting of the Finance Committee on January 16 this year, the Government advised that it would comprehensively examine whether to allow members of the public to withdraw part of their Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) savings for a home purchase, of the specific contents and timetable of the study; and whether it will simultaneously explore the feasibility of utilising MPF for other purposes in support of the middle class;
 
(2) apart from the existing basic child allowance and additional child allowance in the year of birth, whether it will explore increasing the child allowance based on the number of children (such as raising the allowance by a certain percentage for each additional child) to ease the burden of child-rearing on middle-class families; if it will, of the details and the implementation timetable; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(3) apart from the existing dependent parent allowance and dependent grandparent allowance, whether it will consider introducing other tax deductions for taking care of the elderly, such as an “allowance for expenses on elderly home care” for hiring foreign domestic helpers or using local domiciliary nursing services;
 
(4) whether it will consider afresh setting a definition for “the middle class” to facilitate the establishment of a “middle class commission” dedicated to studying the predicament faced by middle-class people and formulating measures targeting middle-class people in such areas as education, housing, healthcare, career development and retirement protection, so as to ease their burden; and
 
(5) whether it will consider reintroducing the Sandwich Class Housing Scheme or a similar scheme to provide reasonably-priced housing options in convenient locations, thereby helping middle-class people achieve their goal of having a settled home within their means?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     Upon consultation with the Housing Department on the fifth item, our reply to the Hon Nick Chan’s question is as follows:
 
(1) The purpose of the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) System is to assist the Hong Kong working population in accumulating savings for their retirement. Allowing scheme members to withdraw part of their MPF benefits early for home purchases, education, medical care, etc, will cause an impact on their retirement protection. MPF is a long-term investment with compounding effect, designed to allow MPF benefits to accumulate steadily during the working life of scheme members. Therefore, MPF benefits should be preserved as far as possible and only be withdrawn upon retirement of the employed persons. If the Government were to relax the preservation requirement on MPF benefits and allow scheme members to make early withdrawals to meet their home ownership, education, medical needs, etc, scheme members will lose the opportunity for their MPF benefits to accumulate for value growth, thereby undermining their basic retirement protection. The Government currently has no plan to expand the use of MPF or revise the grounds of allowing early withdrawals of MPF benefits.
 
(2) and (3) When considering whether to adjust tax measures (including tax bands, tax rates, introduction of new tax allowances and deductions), the Government must carefully examine the effectiveness of such policy proposals and their impact on public finance, while taking into account social, economic, and other public policy considerations, striking a balance between pursuing policies and maintaining healthy public finance.
 
     To alleviate the burden of taxpayers raising children and encourage childbirth, the Government proposed in the 2025 Policy Address and the 2026-27 Budget to extend the claim period of the additional child allowance for newborns from one year to two years, and to increase the child allowance and additional child allowance from $130,000 to $140,000 with effect from the year of assessment 2026/27. It is estimated that the two measures will benefit 16 000 taxpayers and 360 000 taxpayers respectively, resulting in a total government revenue forgone of about $980 million annually. If child allowance is increased based on the number of children, for example, increasing the allowance to $280,000 for the second child and to $560,000 for the third to ninth children, it is estimated that Government revenue will further decrease by about $2.8 billion annually. The Government has already proposed an increase in child allowance and additional child allowance as well as an extension of the claim period for additional child allowance. Increasing child allowance based on the number of children has limited effect on encouraging taxpayers who currently do not have children. Given the above and taking into consideration the sustainability and long-term affordability of public finance, we currently have no plan to further adjust the child allowance system.
 
     In addition, to alleviate the burden of taxpayers in supporting the elderly, the Government has proposed in the 2026-27 Budget to increase the dependent parent/grandparent allowance from $50,000 to $55,000 (for dependents aged 60 or above, or disabled), and from $25,000 to $27,500 (for dependents aged 55 or above but below 60) with effect from the year of assessment 2026/27. Those who reside with their parents or grandparents throughout the whole year will continue to enjoy double allowance, which is $110,000 (for dependents aged 60 or above, or disabled) and $55,000 (for dependents aged 55 or above but below 60). The deduction ceiling for elderly residential care expenses will also be increased from $100,000 to $110,000 per eligible parent/grandparent. Taxpayers can benefit regardless of whether the dependents reside with them or in a residential care home. It is estimated that the measures will benefit about 830 000 taxpayers, resulting in a government revenue forgone of about $970 million annually. The Government currently has no plan to introduce additional tax concessionary measures for elderly care.
 
(4) “Middle class” is a loosely-defined term that generally refers to one’s economic background, academic qualification, income or asset level. Meanwhile, it may also reflect one’s living condition, lifestyle or values. There is no unified criterion to define “middle class” in society, nor is there one internationally. Therefore, establishing a clear and specific definition for “middle class” and formulating targeted policy measures to meet their specific needs may not be the most appropriate and effective approach. Adopting a broad definition may also not facilitate policy formulation.
 
     In respect of taxation, the 2025 Policy Address and the 2026-27 Budget proposed a series of measures to help reduce the tax burden of taxpayers (including the middle class), enabling them to have more disposable income for various aspects such as children’s education, housing, and medical care. Details are provided in the Annex. The Government has always been concerned about and attentive to the needs of people from different sectors of society (including the middle class), and will continue to formulate appropriate policy measures as in the past.
 
(5) In the 1990s, the Government once commissioned the Hong Kong Housing Society to launch the Sandwich Class Housing Scheme (SCHS). SCHS provided affordable housing to families whose income was above the income limit of the Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) of the Hong Kong Housing Authority but who were unable to afford private housing. Following the Government’s repositioned housing policy in 2002, SCHS came to an end in 2003. At present, the Government assists higher-income persons who are not eligible for HOS and yet cannot afford private housing to achieve home ownership through Starter Homes for Hong Kong Residents (SH) projects. The Urban Renewal Authority has launched the first two SH projects (i.e. eResidence Towers 1 and 2, and eResidence Tower 3) with a total of over 600 SH units sold. In addition, the Government is taking forward a few SH projects, the exact details and estimated completion dates of which would be announced at appropriate junctures.
Issued at HKT 12:20

NNNN

Public library opening hours for Easter and Ching Ming Festival 
* library mobile app services, online and telephone renewal services;
* other online library services, including the library catalogue, borrowers’ record enquiries and reservations of library materials;
* self-service library stations; and
* the function of real-time loan record updates of smart book drops and smart book returns (readers may still return library materials to the smart book return facilities, and the loan records will be updated within two working days).Issued at HKT 11:57

NNNN

Adjustment in ceiling prices for dedicated LPG filling stations in April 2026