The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (January 28) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Kutno District of Å�ódzkie Region in Poland, and in Hambleton District of North Yorkshire County and East Lindsey District of Lincolnshire County in the United Kingdom (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 6 600 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Poland, and about 910 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 1 340 000 poultry eggs from the UK last year.
"The CFS has contacted the Polish 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.
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