Import of poultry meat and products from areas in US suspended

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (March 25) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Dickinson County of the State of Kansas; Kingsbury County, Hanson County and Hutchinson County of the State of South Dakota; Buena Vista County of the State of Iowa and Kent County of the State of Delaware in the United States (US), 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 260 tonnes of chilled poultry meat, about 17,090 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 649.21 million poultry eggs from the US last year.

"The CFS has contacted the American 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/Friday, March 25, 2022