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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (May 2) that in view of notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza on a poultry farm in Sejong Special Autonomous City, Korea, it has banned the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the city with immediate effect for the protection of Hong Kong's public and animal health.
A CFS spokesman said about 5 700 tonnes of frozen and chilled poultry meat, as well as about 6.7 million poultry eggs, were imported into Hong Kong from Korea last year.
Import bans on the same items from the Korean provinces of North Jeolla, South Jeolla, North Chungcheong, South Chungcheong, Gyeonggi and South Gyeongsang, imposed due to outbreaks of avian influenza earlier this year are still in force, he added.
"We will be in close liaison with the Korean authorities over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE on the avian influenza outbreaks in the country. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.
Ends/Friday, May 2, 2014
Issued at HKT 17:03
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