The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (March 2) that in view of a notification from the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in Bornholm Municipality in Denmark, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the abovementioned area 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 1 640 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 1.33 million poultry eggs from Denmark last year.
"The CFS has contacted the Danish authority over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the World Organisation for Animal Health and the relevant authorities on avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate actions will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.
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