The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (January 4) that in view of notifications from the General Veterinary Inspectorate of Poland and the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration respectively about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Szamotulski District of Wielkopolskie Region and Wołowski District of Dolnośląskie Region in Poland, and Hedensted Municipality and Vejle Municipality in Denmark, 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 2,000 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 15.4 million poultry eggs from Poland, and about 1,240 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Denmark in the first nine months of last year.

"The CFS has contacted the Polish and Danish 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.