Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in the State of Bremen in Germany, an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in Jurbarkas District Municipality of Tauragė County in Lithuania, an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Dannhauser Local Municipality of KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa and an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Ninh Thuan Province in Vietnam, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the above-mentioned areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 180 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 0.53 million poultry eggs from Germany in the first three months of this year. Hong Kong has currently established a protocol with Lithuania for the import of poultry meat but not for poultry eggs, and has currently established a protocol with Vietnam for the import of poultry eggs but not for poultry meat. According to the Census and Statistics Department, in the first three months of this year, Hong Kong imported about 7.15 million poultry eggs from Vietnam, while no poultry meat was imported from Lithuania.

"The CFS has contacted the relevant authorities over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.