The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (April 3) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Concepción Province of the Biobío Region in Chile and Hillsborough County of the State of Florida in the United States (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 Hong Kong has currently established a protocol with Chile for the import of poultry meat but not for poultry eggs. According to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 50 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Chile, and about 16,320 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 228.88 million poultry eggs from the US last year.

"The CFS has contacted the Chilean and American authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH 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.