Import of poultry meat and products from City of Hawkesbury of State of New South Wales in Australia suspended

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (June 21) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H7N8 avian influenza in the City of Hawkesbury of the State of New South Wales in Australia, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the 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 130 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 4.06 million poultry eggs from Australia in the first three months of this year.

     "The CFS has contacted the Australian authority over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreak. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.