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

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (February 2) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in Bayreuth District of the State of Bayern and Ludwigslust-Parchim District of the State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany, Gir Somnath District of Gujarat State in India, and Isle of Anglesey of Wales in the United Kingdom (UK), as well as outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Solapur District of Maharashtra State and Dhamtari District of Chattisgarh 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 from India last year. Hong Kong imported about 3 900 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 1.41 million poultry eggs from Germany, and about 11 130 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 420 000 poultry eggs from the UK last year.

     "The CFS has contacted the German, Indian and British authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE on the avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.