The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (March 1) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in New Castle County of the State of Delaware and Greene County of the State of Indiana in the United States (US), Salzlandkreis District of State of Sachsen-Anhalt in Germany and Indre-et-Loire Department and Mayenne Department in France, 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 260 tonnes of chilled poultry meat, about 17 090 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 649.21 million poultry eggs from the US, about 470 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 1.06 million poultry eggs from Germany, and about 60 tonnes of chilled poultry meat, about 4 710 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 240 000 poultry eggs from France last year.

     "The CFS has contacted the American, German and French 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/Tuesday, March 1, 2022
Issued at HKT 17:24

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