Speech at Council Meeting-Q6 Quarantine period for pet catsdogs entering Hong Kong from the Mainland

Thank you, President.  The long quarantine period has resulted in exorbitant quarantine fees.  Calculated based on a period of 120 days, the quarantine fee is $5,520 for cats and as high as $10,800 for dogs.  The Secretary mentioned earlier that the participation of the private sector would be introduced.  May I ask the Secretary whether the quarantine fees charged by the private sector will be higher than those by the Government?  Besides, can the quarantine scale be expanded?  Thank you.

SECRETARY FOR ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY：

President, there are two reasons for inviting the private sector.  First, our quarantine facilities are limited, so introducing private sector participation can increase the number of such facilities.  Second, the arrangement can provide more choices for pet owners as some of them may prefer using private services, so it can offer more options for them.  Certainly, the charges of private services will be determined by the market, and the Government will not impose any restrictions on the pricing of the private sector.  Thank you, President.