The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (December 1) that in view of a notification from the British Consulate-General in Hong Kong about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Maldon District of Essex County and Charnwood District of Leicestershire County in the United Kingdom (UK), 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, Hong Kong imported about 70 tonnes of chilled poultry meat, about 2,970 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 250,000 poultry eggs from the UK in the first nine months of this year.

"The CFS has contacted the British authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the World Organisation for Animal Health 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.