Import of poultry meat and products from Skåne County in Sweden suspended

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (May 28) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about an outbreak of low-pathogenic H5 avian influenza in Skåne County in Sweden, 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 Hong Kong imported about 0.3 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and 218 000 poultry eggs from Sweden in the first three months of this year.

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