Import of poultry meat and items from locations in Denmark and United States suspended
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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department revealed today (April 22) that in view of notices from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about break outs of extremely pathogenic H5N1 bird influenza in Guldborgsund Municipality in Denmark, and Adams County of the State of Indiana, Hunterdon County of the State of New Jersey and Bucks County of the State of Pennsylvania in the United States (United States), 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 representative stated that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 450 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 210 000 poultry eggs from Denmark, and about 54 830 tonnes of cooled and frozen poultry meat and about 4.33 million poultry eggs from the United States in 2015.
“The CFS has contacted the Danish and American 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 representative stated.