The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (April 12) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in areas in Korea, the United Kingdom (UK), the United States (US) and Canada, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the relevant 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 20 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 840,000 poultry eggs from Korea; about 90 tonnes of chilled poultry meat, about 3,770 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 320,000 poultry eggs from the UK; about 260 tonnes of chilled poultry meat, about 17,090 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 649.21 million poultry eggs from the US and about 1,020 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat from Canada last year.

 

The CFS has contacted the Korean, British, American and Canadian authorities over the issues 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.