The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (May 18) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Lyon County of the State of Minnesota, Sequoyah County of the State of Oklahoma and Berks County of the State of Pennsylvania in the United States (US), 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 3,640 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 135.82 million poultry eggs from the US in the first three months of this year.

"The CFS has contacted the American 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.