The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced on January 25 that in view of notifications from the General Veterinary Inspectorate of Poland and the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development of South Africa respectively about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Przeworski District of Podkarpackie Region in Poland and uMhlathuze Local Municipality of KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa, 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 4 070 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 24.82 million poultry eggs from Poland in the first nine months of last year. Hong Kong currently has an established protocol with South Africa for the import of poultry meat but not for poultry eggs. According to the Census and Statistics Department, no poultry meat was imported from South Africa in the first nine months of last year.

"The CFS has contacted the Polish and South African authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the World Organisation for Animal Health 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.