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

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (November 19) that in view of notifications from the General Veterinary Inspectorate of Poland and the British Consulate-General in Hong Kong respectively about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Kaliski District of Wielkopolskie Region in Poland, and in Tendring District of Essex County, Hambleton District of North Yorkshire County and Lancashire County in the United Kingdom (UK), 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 4 070 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 24.82 million poultry eggs from Poland, and about 70 tonnes of chilled poultry meat, about 2 970 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 250 000 poultry eggs from the UK in the first nine months of this year.

"The CFS has contacted the Polish and British authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the World Organisation for Animal Health 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/Friday, November 19, 2021