Import of poultry meat and products from areas in Portugal, UK and Poland suspended

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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (January 4) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the General Veterinary Inspectorate of Poland about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Santarém District in Portugal, King's Lynn & West Norfolk District of Norfolk County in the United Kingdom (UK), and Milicki District and Średzki District of Dolnośląskie 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, no poultry meat or eggs were imported into Hong Kong from Portugal in the first nine months of last year. Moreover, Hong Kong imported about 70 tonnes of chilled poultry meat, about 2 970 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 250 000 poultry eggs from the UK; and about 4 070 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 24.82 million poultry eggs from Poland in the first nine months of last year.

"The CFS has contacted the Portuguese, British and Polish authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE 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.

Ends/Tuesday, January 4, 2022
Issued at HKT 15:08

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