Mainland workers arrive to help increase meat supply

Mainland workers have arrived on Wednesday to help with slaughterhouse operations, in the hope of increasing fresh meat supply by the end of this week.  

But prices could still be higher, with manpower remains far below the normal level. 

Fresh meat supply in Hong Kong have been scaled back as two slaughter houses in Sheung Shui and Tsuen Wan were temporarily closed from Saturday midnight due to infections of staffers. 

Tsuen Wan Slaughter House reopened on Sunday but it could only slaughtered about 300 pigs, which pork traders said the supply was only a drop in the bucket and far from enough. The Sheung Shui one has yet to reopen. 

Ng Fong Hong, which operates the slaughterhouses, has deployed 38 personnel from the mainland on Wednesday. They will station in Hong Kong for two months to help alleviate the manpower shortage in Hong Kong. 

Even with the mainland staffers' help, it will be impossible to maintain meat supply at the previous level shortly. 

Around 150 local people worked at Sheung Shui slaughterhouse, but only 40 of them can return to work right now. The introduction of mainland assistants will help increase manpower to 78 – or just half of the previous number. 

Around 1,800 animals can be slaughtered a day after the slaughterhouse reopens, Ng Fong Hong expects. It didn't rule out an increase in prices, saying it depends on bidding results. 

Pork Traders General Association chairman Hui Wai-kin expected fresh meat supply in Hong Kong to gradually resume normal starting Sunday.

Even with the help of the mainland workers, fresh meat supply could resume normal only after local workers obtained negative Covid-19 test results and resumed duty at the city’s slaughterhouses, he explained.