Import of poultry meat and products from areas in Canada, US and France suspended

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (May 3) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Cardston County of Alberta Province and Rural Municipality of Morse No. 165 of Saskatchewan Province in Canada; Todd County of the State of Minnesota, Richland County of the State of North Dakota and McPherson County of the State of Kansas in the United States (US); and Haute-Vienne Department, Loir-et-Cher Department and Aveyron 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 4 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Canada, about 3 640 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 135.82 million poultry eggs from the US, and about 240 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat from France in the first three months of this year.

     "The CFS has contacted the Canadian, American 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.