The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (October 5) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Big Stone County and Kandiyohi County of the State of Minnesota, Ravalli County of the State of Montana, and Barron County of the State of Wisconsin in the United States (US), and a notification from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the United Kingdom (UK) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N5 avian influenza in the Isle of Lewis of Scotland in the UK, 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 24 190 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 20.2 million poultry eggs from the US, and about 340 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat from the UK in the first six months of this year.
      
     "The CFS has contacted the American and British 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, October 5, 2026
Issued at HKT 18:18

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