The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced on June 30 that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in the District of Osnabrück in the State of Niedersachsen in Germany, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the district 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 180 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 530,000 poultry eggs from Germany in the first three months of this year.

"The CFS has contacted the German authorities over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE 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.