Import of poultry meat and products from areas in Hungary and Germany suspended

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     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (April 14) that in view of a notification from the Ministry of Agriculture of Hungary about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Hajdú-Bihar County in Hungary, and notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in Mittelsachsen, Vogtlandkreis and Meißen of State of Sachsen; Schwandorf, Kulmbach, Würzburg, Erding and Ebersberg of State of Bayern; and Stormarn, Plön and Rendsburg-Eckernförde of State of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, 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 Hong Kong has currently established a protocol with Hungary for the import of poultry meat but not for poultry eggs. According to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 1 030 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Hungary, and about 3 900 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 1.41 million poultry eggs from Germany last year.

     "The CFS has contacted the Hungarian and German 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.

Ends/Wednesday, April 14, 2021
Issued at HKT 17:01

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