The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (January 3) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the General Veterinary Inspectorate of Poland respectively about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in areas in the United States (US), France and Poland, and a notification from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan about outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in areas in Japan, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the relevant areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

The relevant areas are as follows:
   
US
State of California
(1) Glenn County
 
France
(2) Gers Department

Poland
Śląskie Region
(3) Zawierciański District

Wielkopolskie Region
(4) Turecki District
(5) Pleszewski District
(6) Kaliski District

Łódzkie Region
(7) Łódzki Wschodni District

Japan
(8) Gunma Prefecture
(9) Chiba Prefecture
 
A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 10,650 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 227.48 million poultry eggs from the US, about 670 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 150,000 poultry eggs from France, about 2,000 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 15.4 million poultry eggs from Poland, and about 1,260 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 292.13 million poultry eggs from Japan in the first nine months of last year.

"The CFS has contacted the American, French, Polish and Japanese authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.