The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (February 7) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Oberbergischer Kreis District in the State of Nordrhein-Westfalen in Germany, Huelva Province of Andalucía in Spain and Kings County of Nova Scotia Province in Canada, 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 470 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 1.06 million poultry eggs from Germany, about 860 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 1.78 million poultry eggs from Spain, and about 1 020 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat from Canada last year.
"The CFS has contacted the German, Spanish and Canadian 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.
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