The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (February 13) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Leake County of the State of Mississippi and Merced County of the State of California in the United States (US) and Province of Lleida of Catalonia in Spain, 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 16,320 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 228.88 million poultry eggs from the US and about 230 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 66,000 poultry eggs from Spain last year.

"The CFS has contacted the American and Spanish 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.