The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (December 4) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in West-Vlaanderen Province in Belgium and the District of Ostprignitz-Ruppin of the State of Brandenburg in Germany, 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, in the first nine months of this year, Hong Kong imported about 180 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Germany while no poultry meat or eggs were imported into Hong Kong from Belgium.

"The CFS has contacted the Belgian and German 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.