Import of poultry meat and products from areas in Korea, UK, Sweden and Poland suspended

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (December 16) that in view of notifications from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of Korea, the British Consulate-General in Hong Kong, the Swedish Board of Agriculture and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in areas in Korea, United Kingdom (UK), Sweden and Poland, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the relevant areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

     The relevant areas are as follows:

Korea
1.  Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do Province
2.  Asan-city, Chungcheongnam-do Province

UK
England
3. North Herefordshire of Herefordshire County  
4. Babergh District of Suffolk County
5. Richmondshire District of North Yorkshire County
6. East Yorkshire of East Riding of Yorkshire County
Wales
7. Brecon and Radnorshire and Blaenau Gwent
Northern Ireland
8. Aughnacloy Townland of Tyrone County
9. Broughshane Townland of Antrim County
Scotland
10. Dumfries and Galloway
 
Sweden
Skåne County
11. Skurup Municipality
12. Trelleborg Municipality
13. Ystad Municipality
14. Svedala Municipality
 
Poland
15. Piotrkowski District, Å�ódzkie Region

     A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 10 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and 280 000 poultry eggs from Korea; about 70 tonnes of chilled poultry meat, about 2 970 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 250 000 poultry eggs from the UK; about 680 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Sweden; and about 4 070 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 24.82 million poultry eggs from Poland in the first nine months of this year.
 
     "The CFS has contacted the Korean, British, Swedish 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.