The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (January 10) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Vaucluse Department in France and Weakley County of the State of Tennessee in the United States (US), the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the above-mentioned areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 670 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 150 000 poultry eggs from France and about 10 650 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 227.48 million poultry eggs from the US in the first nine months of last year.

"The CFS has contacted the French and American 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.