The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (September 19) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Cheshire County and East Staffordshire District of Staffordshire County in the United Kingdom (UK), 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 400 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 180,000 poultry eggs from the UK in the first six months of this year.

"The CFS has contacted the British authority over the issue 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.