The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (November 9) that in view of a notification from the Ministry of Agriculture of Hungary about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County in Hungary, and notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H7N6 and H5 avian influenza in Mogalakwena Local Municipality of Limpopo Province and Phokwane Local Municipality of Northern Cape Province in South Africa respectively, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products 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 Hungary and South Africa for the import of poultry meat but not for poultry eggs. According to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 270 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Hungary in the first nine months of this year. No poultry meat was imported into Hong Kong from South Africa in the first nine months of this year.

"The CFS has contacted the Hungarian and South African 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.