The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (November 22) that in view of a notification from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of Korea about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Gangjin-gun of Jeollanam-do Province in Korea, and notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Friesland Province in the Netherlands and the District of Nienburg (Weser) in the State of Niedersachsen in Germany, 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 10 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and 280,000 poultry eggs from Korea, about 730 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from the Netherlands and about 430 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 800,000 poultry eggs from Germany in the first nine months of this year.

     "The CFS has contacted the Korean, Dutch and German 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/Monday, November 22, 2021
Issued at HKT 18:02

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