The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (April 20) 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 Akita Prefecture in Japan, a notification from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture about an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Lancaster County of the State of Pennsylvania in the United States (US), and a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Faulk County of the State of South Dakota; Big Stone County, Otter Tail County, Swift County, Waseca County, Renville County and Yellow Medicine County of the State of Minnesota; Elkhart County of the State of Indiana; Dade County of the State of Missouri; Barron County of the State of Wisconsin; and Hardin County of the State of Iowa in the 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 40 tonnes of chilled poultry meat, about 3 240 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 286.19 million poultry eggs from Japan and about 260 tonnes of chilled poultry meat, about 17 090 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 649.21 million poultry eggs from the US last year.

"The CFS has contacted the Japanese and American 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.