Hong Kong Farmers Protest Waste Law

HONG KONG —  More than 1,000 angry farmers, some waving empty rice bowls, protested a new anti-pollution law Wednesday, saying it would drive them out of business.

They gathered outside the legislature of this British colony as a bill against dumping animal waste, seen as a threat to their pig and chicken farms, was passed into law.

Ng Po-wing, secretary of the Hong Kong Assn. of Farmers which represents the colony’s 200,000 farmers, said the new law sets stringent anti-pollution standards and would force farmers to install expensive waste-cleaning systems they cannot afford. The government had offered to buy the farms at a price far below market value, Ng added.

Government officials said animal waste washes out to sea and pollutes many Hong Kong beaches. Three beaches were declared unfit for swimming this year.