Import of poultry meat and products from areas in Poland and South Africa suspended

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (July 2) that in view of a notification from the General Veterinary Inspectorate of Poland about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in PiaseczyÅ„ski District of Mazowieckie Region in Poland, and a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Msunduzi Local Municipality of KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa, 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 2 920 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 12.06 million poultry eggs from Poland in the first three months of this year. Hong Kong currently has an established protocol with South Africa for the import of poultry meat but not for poultry eggs. No poultry meat was imported from South Africa in the first three months of this year.
 
     "The CFS has contacted the Polish and South African 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.