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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (May 5) that in view of a notification from the United States (US) authorities about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza in Madison County and Cherokee County in the US state of Iowa, and Renville County in the US state of Minnesota, and a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Kastamonu Province in Turkey, it has banned the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the four areas concerned with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.
A CFS spokesman said that Hong Kong imported about 267 000 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 530 million poultry eggs from the US last year. However, no poultry meat or poultry eggs were imported from Turkey in the same period.
"The CFS has contacted the US and Turkish authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE on avian influenza outbreaks in the two countries. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.
Ends/Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Issued at HKT 18:20
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