Culture and Sport - Macao Yearbook

Health and Social Welfare
Affairs Bureau has strengthened its product quality inspection and control measures. It has also
made sample inspection procedures for imported livestock and foodstuffs more stringent, in order
to prevent the outbreak of infectious diseases among humans and animals in Macao and to control
the inappropriate processing of livestock, fresh and frozen poultry, vegetables and perishable
foodstuffs. All imported foodstuffs – including vegetables, live poultry, fish, fresh and frozen
meat, eggs, fruits and canned goods – must now be inspected, quarantined and tested for residual
pesticides, while poultry must be tested for avian flu. In addition, the bureau is responsible for
food hygiene inspection of shops selling meat, vegetables and fish, and issuing licences to them. It
carries out regular “hygiene blitzes”, and it has introduced a grading system to monitor the hygiene
and safety of fresh live food.
The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau effectively carries out its inspection and quarantine
responsibilities through cooperation and the exchange of information with the Macao Customs
Service, the Health Bureau, the Economic Services Bureau and counterparts of these organisations
in neighbouring regions.
Veterinary Health
The Inspection and Veterinary Control Division, under the supervision of the Civic and Municipal
Affairs Bureau, is mainly responsible for preventing and controlling infectious animal diseases. Its
duties include animal health inspection, quarantine of imported and exported animals, education
regarding and promotion of animal hygiene, and licensing retail sites of live domestic fowl, wild
animals and pets. It is also responsible for issuing pet dog licences. In 2008, it licensed nine retail
sites for live domestic fowl, one for wild animals and 19 for pets; and impounded 657 stray dogs
and 181 cats and issued 8,863 dog licences.
The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau has established two dog pounds, which are responsible
for issuing pet dog licences, providing rabies vaccinations for pet dogs and cats, providing diagnoses
and treatment for pets, sheltering abandoned and stray animals, providing animal quarantine,
handling matters concerning pet adoptions, issuing animal health certificates and providing corpse
handling and cremation services.
Wet Markets
There are nine wet markets in Macao: seven on the Macao peninsula and one each on the islands
of Taipa and Coloane. These house a total of 1,165 vending stalls. The stalls are operated by 950
tenants and temporary mobile stall licensees, assisted by 501 helpers and 660 employees.
In 2008, a total of 2,111 people were involved in running market stalls. The Civic and Municipal
Affairs Bureau manages wet markets and handles tenancy affairs.
Hawkers
The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau licenses, manages and monitors hawkers. In addition, it
manages various big and temporary sales activities, such as sales of firecrackers and the Lunar New
Year’s Eve Market, during major Chinese traditional festivals, as well as special markets like the
Taipa Flea Market. During 2008, the bureau issued 1,314 licences, including 249 cooked food stall
licences and 80 special permits to flower hawkers from the Wanzai District of Zhuhai Municipality,
415