The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (February 14) that in view of a notification from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza in Kagoshima Prefecture in Japan, and notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Iławski District of Warmińsko-Mazurskie Region and Brzeski District of Opolskie Region in Poland, and Gage County of the State of Nebraska 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 1,990 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 281.33 million poultry eggs from Japan, about 3,110 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Poland, and about 37,770 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 83.84 million poultry eggs from the US last year.

"The CFS has contacted the Japanese, 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.