Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced earlier this week the suspension of poultry imports from regions in France, Poland and the US. CFS cited the presence of avian influenza and protecting human health as the reasons behind the suspensions. 

The suspensions are in response to notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza in Morbihan Department in France, and outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Świebodziński District of Lubuskie Region in Poland and Hillsborough County of the State of Florida in the United States. 

A CFS spokesperson said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 830 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 110,000 poultry eggs from France, about 1,620 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Poland, and about 40 950 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 13.86 million poultry eggs from the US in the first six months of this year.

"The CFS has contacted the French, Polish and American authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreaks," the spokesperson said. "Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation."