The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (August 3) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H7N7 avian influenza in the Golden Plains Shire of state of Victoria in Australia, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the area with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

A CFS spokesman said that Hong Kong imported about 170 tonnes of chilled poultry meat, 870 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and 1.8 million poultry eggs from Australia in the first six months of this year, according to the Census and Statistics Department.

"The CFS has contacted the Australian authorities over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE on the avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.

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