The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (November 29) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony in Germany, and in the province of Flevoland in the Netherlands, and notifications from the Japanese authorities about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza in Aomori and Niigata prefectures in Japan, 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 10 months of this year, Hong Kong imported about 8 400 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and 2 million poultry eggs from Germany, about 7 800 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and 7.3 million poultry eggs from the Netherlands, and about 6 000 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and 40.6 million poultry eggs from Japan. 

     "The CFS has contacted the German, Dutch and Japanese 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/Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Issued at HKT 19:17

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