The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (January 19) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in the Municipality of Tripoli in Greece and a notification from the Polish authorities about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in Ostrzeszowski District in Poland, the CFS has banned the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the above places with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

     A CFS spokesman said that in the first 11 months of last year, Hong Kong imported about 18 700 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and 4.8 million poultry eggs from Poland. No poultry meat or poultry eggs were imported from Greece in the same period.

     "The CFS has contacted the Greek and Polish authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE on avian influenza outbreaks in the countries concerned. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.

Ends/Thursday, January 19, 2017
Issued at HKT 18:19

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