Import of poultry meat and products from areas in UK and India suspended

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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (March 31) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in County Durham District of County Durham in the United Kingdom (UK) and Washim District and Chandrapur District of Maharashtra State in India, 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 India for the import of poultry eggs but not for poultry meat. According to the Census and Statistics Department, no eggs were imported into Hong Kong from India last year; and Hong Kong imported about 910 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat, and about 1.34 million poultry eggs from the UK last year.

"The CFS has contacted the British and Indian 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/Monday, March 31, 2025
Issued at HKT 17:15

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