The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (March 7) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of Korea respectively about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Province of Como, Region of Lombardy and Province of Cuneo, Region of Piedmont in Italy, and Goheung-gun of Jeollanam-do Province in Korea; and a notification from the General Veterinary Inspectorate of Poland about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N2 and H5N1 avian influenza in GÅ‚ubczycki District of Opolskie Region and Å�eczycki District of Å�ódzkie Region in Poland respectively, 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 950 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 100 000 poultry eggs from Italy; about 20 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 840 000 poultry eggs from Korea, and about 4 460 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 30.2 million poultry eggs from Poland last year.
"The CFS has contacted the Italian, Korean and Polish 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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