Import of poultry meat and items from locations in Poland and Spain suspended
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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department revealed today (September 23) that in view of notices from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about break outs of extremely pathogenic H5N1 bird influenza in Iława District of Warmińsko-Mazurskie Region in Poland and Valladolid Province of Castilla y Leon in Spain, the CFS has actually advised the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and items (consisting of poultry eggs) from those locations with instant result to safeguard public health in Hong Kong.
A CFS spokesperson stated that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 1 730 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Poland, and about 50 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 50 000 poultry eggs from Spain in the very first 6 months of this year.
“The CFS has contacted the Polish and Spanish authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation,” the spokesperson stated.