The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced on September 21 that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in Quang Tri Province in Vietnam, 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 Hong Kong has currently established a protocol with Vietnam for the import of poultry eggs but not for poultry meat. According to the Census and Statistics Department, in the first six months of this year, Hong Kong imported about 13.42 million poultry eggs from Vietnam.

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