Import of poultry meat and products from areas in Russia and France suspended

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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (May 23) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Yaroslavl Oblast in Russia and Pyrénées-Atlantiques Department in France, 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 Hong Kong has currently established a protocol with Russia for the import of poultry meat but not for poultry eggs. According to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 30 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Russia, and about 90 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 270 000 poultry eggs from France in the first three months of this year.

"The CFS has contacted the Russian and French authorities over the issues 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.

Ends/Tuesday, May 23, 2023
Issued at HKT 15:12

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