Import of poultry meat and products from areas in Poland, France and Korea suspended

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (February 1) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of Korea about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in Wejherowski District of Pomorskie Region in Poland, Lot-Et-Garonne Department in France and Hampyeong-gun of Jeollanam-do Province, Pohang-si of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and Paju-si of Gyeonggi-do Province in Korea, 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 13,500 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 39.08 million poultry eggs from Poland, about 11,940 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 1.07 million poultry eggs from France and about 1,190 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 11.15 million poultry eggs from Korea last year.

"The CFS has contacted the Polish, French and Korean 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/Monday, February 1, 2021