The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (June 7) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in South Norfolk District of Norfolk County in the United Kingdom (UK) and Jeju Province in Korea, it has banned the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the above areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

     A CFS spokesman said that in the first four months of this year, Hong Kong imported about 5 000 tonnes of frozen and chilled poultry meat and 360 000 poultry eggs from the UK, and about 27 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and 100 000 poultry eggs from Korea.

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

Ends/Wednesday, June 7, 2017
Issued at HKT 18:15

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