. Energy News .




FARM NEWS
Hong Kong cracks down on baby formula trade
by Staff Writers
Hong Kong (AFP) March 1, 2013


A Hong Kong regulation came into force Friday barring people from crossing into mainland China with large quantities of baby formula following chronic shortages which have fuelled anti-Beijing sentiment.

Formula is popular with mainland Chinese because of concerns about the safety of food processed in China after a series of scandals, notably in 2008 when six babies died from drinking milk tainted with the chemical melamine.

The measures prevent people from taking more than 1.8 kilograms (four pounds) -- or about two cans -- of formula across the border, in a bid to crack down on the so-called "parallel traders" who sell the milk powder for a profit in China.

Offenders face a fine of up to HK$500,000 ($65,000) and up to two years in prison, according to a statement by the customs and excise department.

Tensions between Hong Kongers and mainland Chinese have soared in recent years, fuelled by an influx of mainland visitors blamed for a host of problems, from a shortage of hospital beds to soaring property prices.

The department said customs planned to step up inspection on cargo and baggage of people leaving the territory, coordinating with their counterparts in the mainland.

Eight mainland Chinese and two Hong Kongers carrying a total of 53 cans of formula out of the city were intercepted by customs by Friday afternoon, Assistant Commissioner of Boundary and Ports Yu Koon-hing told reporters.

Reacting to news of the new measures, Crystal Li, a public relations manager and mother of a 5-month-old son told AFP: "I am definitely happy... now that it is available at every pharmacy, it is a lot more convenient."

Li said many pharmacies ran out of formula during last month's Lunar New Year holidays, which typically see an influx of mainland tourists, while accusing some outlets of selling only to parallel traders willing to pay a premium.

"Pharmacies may have a set amount of supplies, but once parallel traders are willing to pay the extra 50 percent, they would rather sell it to them instead of us," she said.

Last month, an online petition to US President Barack Obama to help Hong Kong avoid a baby formula shortage garnered more than 12,500 signatures. It now appears to have been removed from the White House website.

In January Australian supermarkets and pharmacies reported running low on formula reportedly due to Chinese customers trying to secure supplies.

.


Related Links
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle




Memory Foam Mattress Review

Newsletters :: SpaceDaily Express :: SpaceWar Express :: TerraDaily Express :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

Get Our Free Newsletters
Space - Defense - Environment - Energy - Solar - Nuclear

...





FARM NEWS
Argentine soybean yield goes below budget
Buenos Aires (UPI) Feb 28, 2013
Argentina's soybean yield will be much lower than expected, affecting national income projections based on exports in the coming months. The government blamed drought for the downturn. Argentine agriculture suffered from dry weather most of 2012 but some relief was seen after February rains. Argentina's earnings projections are far from clear because of the reported setback to ti ... read more


FARM NEWS
NASA Selects Launch Services for ICESat-2 Mission

Vietnam to launch third satellite into orbit

NASA's Aquarius Sees Salty Shifts

SMOS: the global success story continues

FARM NEWS
USAF Awards Lockheed Martin Contracts to Begin Work on Next Set of GPS III Satellites

Telit Offers COMBO 2G Chip For Multi Satellite Positioning Receiver

Boeing Awarded USAF Contract to Continue GPS Modernization

A system that improves the precision of GPS in cities by 90 percent

FARM NEWS
EU cracks down on illegal timber trade

NASA Eyes Declining Vegetation In The Eastern United States From 2000 To 2010

Science synthesis to help guide land management of US forests

Declining Vegetation Across The Eastern US Observed

FARM NEWS
Estimates reduce amount of additional land available for biofuel production

'Fat worms' inch scientists toward better biofuel production

The impact of algae parasite on algae biofuel output

Engineering cells for more efficient biofuel production

FARM NEWS
Ivanpah Project Reaches "First Flux" Milestone

Czech Company Plans to Invest EUR 400 Mln Into Solar Plants in Ukraine

MECASOLAR to present solar trackers at ENREG ENERGIA REGENERABILA

SOLON and MP2 Capital Complete Construction of Multi-Campus Solar System

FARM NEWS
Scientists have overestimated capacity of wind farms to generate power

Rethinking wind power

Global wind energy capacity grows 19 percent in 2012

Finding the right space for offshore wind turbines

FARM NEWS
China mine blast kills 17: state media

FARM NEWS
Keep up censorship fight, urges acclaimed Chinese filmmaker

China village defies officials to demand democracy

New pope faces old problem of divided China Church

China Nobel winner Mo Yan defies critics




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2012 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement