The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (March 30) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Wellington County and Oxford County of Ontario Province in Canada, and Lot Department and Ille-et-Vilaine 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 1 020 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat from Canada 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 Canadian 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.
Follow this news feed: East Asia