Import of poultry meat and products from areas in Poland suspended

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (May 27) that in view of a notification from the General Veterinary Inspectorate of Poland about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in Makowski District of Mazowieckie Region and Bialski District of Lubelskie Region in Poland, 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.

     "The CFS has contacted the Polish authorities over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the World Organisation for Animal Health 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.