Import of poultry meat and products from areas in US suspended
​The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (January 20) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in areas in the United States (US), 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:
State of South Carolina
(1) Spartanburg County
State of Indiana
(2) Jay County
State of Delaware
(3) Kent County
State of South Dakota
(4) Miner County
State of Missouri
(5) Cooper County
State of Nebraska
(6) Lancaster County
(7) Johnson County
(8) Nemaha County
State of Wisconsin
(9) Burnett County
State of Michigan
(10) Ottawa County
State of California
(11) Butte County
(12) Riverside County
(13) Monterey County
State of Ohio
(14) Mercer County
(15) Greene County
State of Arkansas
(16) Clay County
State of Mississippi
(17) Copiah County
State of Illinois
(18) Lawrence County
State of West Virginia
(19) Pocahontas County
A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 63 470 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat, and about 17.2 million poultry eggs from the US in the first nine months of last year.
"The CFS has contacted the American authority over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH 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.