The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced on January 18 that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of Korea respectively about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in Lisburn and Castlereagh District of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom (UK), Cuxhaven District in the State of Niedersachsen of Germany; and Namyangju-si, Anseong-si and Pocheon-si of Gyeonggi-do Province; Hongseong-gun of Chungcheongnam-do Province; Mungyeong-si of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province; and Goseong-gun of Gyeongsangnam-do Province of Korea, 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 8,700 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 330,000 poultry eggs from the UK, about 2,500 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 880,000 poultry eggs from Germany and about 740 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 8.9 million poultry eggs from Korea in the first nine months of last year.

"The CFS has contacted the British, German and Korean authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE and the relevant authorities on avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate actions will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.

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