The first batch of 6,000 live chickens passed the quarantine checkpoint in the city of Shenzhen Tuesday morning, marking the resumption of live chicken export to Hong Kong after a two-and-half month suspension due to bird flu outbreak.

The first batch of live chickens come from chicken farms in Huadu district of Guangzhou city and Shenzhen city.

The interior area's poultry exports to Hong Kong and Macao were suspended after cases of avian influenza were spotted in January. Live chicken exports to Macao were restored on March 5.

After being checked by the Hong Kong side, these chickens will go on the market in Hong Kong Wednesday.

In the Jiangfeng Chicken Farm in Huadu, where 2,000 chickens come from, the Guangdong administration of quality supervision, inspection and quarantine quarantined the chickens in isolation five days ago. They also took samples to test for bird flu H5 antibodies. On Tuesday morning, just before leaving for Hong Kong, the chickens also received another quarantine check.

In the next three days, Jiangfeng Chicken Farm will also export 2,000 live chickens to Hong Kong every day, according to Cao Yun, manager of the farm.