Hong Kong suspends imports of poultry meat and products from parts of US, Britain and Poland following H5N1 bird flu outbreaks

Hong Kong has imposed a suspension on the importation of poultry meat and related products from certain regions in the United States, Britain, and Poland. This action was taken in response to the emergence of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu in these areas. The Centre for Food Safety announced on Monday that it had directed importers to cease the importation of poultry meat and products, including eggs, from the affected regions with immediate effect, as a measure to safeguard public health.

The Centre for Food Safety was alerted by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about the outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza in specific areas of the US, the United Kingdom, and Poland. The US regions affected by the suspension include Stanislaus and San Benito counties in California, Barron County in Wisconsin, Johnson County in Arkansas, Darke County in Ohio, and Bent County in Colorado. In Britain, the affected area is East Devon, while in Poland, the Goleniowski district of the Zachodniopomorskie region has been impacted.

The Centre for Food Safety has initiated communication with the Polish, British, and American authorities regarding the issue and will maintain vigilant monitoring of information released by the WOAH and the relevant authorities concerning the avian influenza outbreaks. The Centre will take appropriate measures in response to the evolving situation. In the first nine months of this year, Hong Kong imported approximately 21,470 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and 57. 1 million eggs from the US. During the same period, 540 tonnes of poultry meat and 400,000 eggs were imported from Britain. Additionally, the city imported about 2,140 tonnes of Polish frozen poultry meat.