The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (December 28) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the General Veterinary Inspectorate of Poland about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in areas in the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), Canada, France and Poland, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the relevant areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

     ​The relevant areas are as follows: 

US
(1) Daviess County of the State of Indiana
(2) Ida County of the State of Iowa
(3) Moody County of the State of South Dakota
(4) Franklin County of the State of Washington

UK
(5) Perth and Kinross of Scotland 
(6) Ryedale District of North Yorkshire County

Canada
(7) Municipality of Lambton Shores of Ontario Province

France
(8) Hautes-Pyrénées Department
(9) Rhône Department

Poland
(10) Łosicki District of Mazowieckie Region

     A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 10 650 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 227.48 million poultry eggs from the US, about 940 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 230 000 poultry eggs from the UK, about 90 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Canada, about 670 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 150 000 poultry eggs from France, and about 2 000 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 15.4 million poultry eggs from Poland in the first nine months of this year.

     "The CFS has contacted the American, British, Canadian, French and Polish authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH 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, December 28, 2022
Issued at HKT 17:00

NNNN