The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (January 10) that in view of a notification from the Swedish Board of Agriculture about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in the Municipality of Sjöbo in Skåne County in Sweden, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the area 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 50 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Sweden in the first nine months of last year.

"The CFS has contacted the Swedish authority over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the World Organisation for Animal Health and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreak. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.