Import of poultry meat and items from Teignbridge District of Devon County in UK suspended
******************************************************************************************
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department revealed today (September 3) that in view of a notice from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the United Kingdom (UK) about a break out of extremely pathogenic H5N1 bird influenza in Teignbridge District of Devon County in the UK, the CFS has actually advised the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and items (consisting of poultry eggs) from the location with instant impact to secure public health in Hong Kong.
A CFS representative stated that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 390 tonnes of cooled and frozen poultry meat, and about 830 000 poultry eggs from the UK in the very first 6 months of this year.
“The CFS has contacted the British authority over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the World Organisation for Animal Health and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreak. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation,” the spokesperson stated.