IT pays to break the live-poultry ban.

    When a ban on selling live poultry came into effect in parts of the city in April, live-poultry sellers saw a jump in sales. The government has offered money for any live-poultry sellers that add a refrigerator to their stall and sell iced chicken, but, reportedly, some stalls have not been paid the money.

    Better sales and worries about government support mean stalls are choosing to flout the ban and continue selling live poultry — turning a healthy profit in the meantime.

    Stalls are still slaughtering and selling live poultry in Dakan, Nanshan District, the Daily Sunshine reported yesterday.

    The ban hopes to better contain bird flu and improve public hygiene.

    “Dakan Village is located within the protected area of a water source. If the existing live-poultry business releases waste into the reservoir, will it contaminate our tap water?” said a Dakan local, surnamed Lin.

    “The whole city is prohibiting live poultry sales. I hope we can do it here, making the market cleaner and safer,” said Lin.

    One stall still selling live poultry is at the end of the Meiyi wet market.

    Its owner was plucking chicken feathers when an undercover reporter arrived at the stall. The stall’s floor was drenched in water and blood.

    The owner said his daily sales surged after the trial ban in Nanshan on April 1 this year.

    “Before the ban, I only slaughtered over a dozen live chickens per day. After April, I’ve slaughtered at least that many before noon,” the owner said. “Now I’m slaughtering 30 chickens in a day. The business peak is on the first and the 15th day of each month on the lunar calendar, when nearly 50 live chickens can be sold daily.”

    When asked about water contamination, the owner said: “The chicken blood is not that dirty!”

    The ban on live poultry sales has been in force in Nanshan, Futian, Luohu and Yantian since April 1. The citywide ban took effect three months later, July 1.

    The ban is based on the provincial poultry management rules, which regulate that the live poultry should be separately slaughtered, delivered and sold.

    (Zhang Xiaoyi)