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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (January 19) that, in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Japanese authorities about outbreaks of H5 Avian Influenza in Nigeria and Japan's Saga Prefecture, and a notification from the Israeli authorities about an outbreak of H5N1 Avian Influenza in Haifa District, Israel, it has banned the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from these three places with immediate effect for the protection of public health in Hong Kong.
A CFS spokesman said that more than 5 000 tonnes of frozen and chilled poultry meat and 20 million poultry eggs were imported from Japan into Hong Kong from January to November last year. However, Hong Kong did not import any poultry meat and poultry eggs from Nigeria and Israel.
The CFS has contacted the Nigerian, Japanese and Israeli authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE on the avian influenza outbreaks in the three countries. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation.
Ends/Monday, January 19, 2015
Issued at HKT 17:01
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