The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced on February 3 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 Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan, and from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in Ardennes Department in France, 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 70 tonnes of chilled poultry meat, about 5,680 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 270.17 million poultry eggs from Japan, and about 80 tonnes of chilled poultry meat, about 11,860 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 1.07 million poultry eggs from France last year.

"The CFS has contacted the Japanese and French authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE 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.

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