The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (December 27) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza in Nord Department and Somme Department in France, and outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Lipnowski District of Kujawsko-pomorskie Region in Poland, and Muskegon County of the State of Michigan, Latah County of the State of Idaho and Lake County of the State of South Dakota 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 170 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 280,000 poultry eggs from France, about 2,140 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Poland, and about 21,470 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 57.11 million poultry eggs from the US in the first nine months of this year.

"The CFS has contacted the French, Polish 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.