Import of poultry meat and products from areas in Poland and Lithuania suspended

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (January 11) that in view of a notification from the General Veterinary Inspectorate of Poland about an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in GrudziÄ…dzki District of Kujawsko-pomorskie Region in Poland, and a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in Kaunas County in Lithuania, 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 Lithuania for the import of poultry meat but not for poultry eggs. According to the Census and Statistics Department, in the first nine months of last year, Hong Kong imported about 9,900 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 21.32 million poultry eggs from Poland, and about 100 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Lithuania.

     "The CFS has contacted the Polish and Lithuanian 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.