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

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     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (December 30) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in South Norfolk District of Norfolk County in the United Kingdom (UK) and Częstochowa District of Śląskie Region in Poland, and an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan, 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, Hong Kong imported about 900 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 990 000 poultry eggs from the UK, about 3 480 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Poland, and about 2 000 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 227.42 million poultry eggs from Japan in the first nine months of this year.

     "The CFS has contacted the British, Polish and Japanese 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/Monday, December 30, 2024
Issued at HKT 18:09

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