Hong Kong News Network, October 30th. The Food Safety Center of the Food and Health Department of Hong Kong announced on the 29th that in response to the reports from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan and the World Organization for Animal Health, the outbreak of highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, and the outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Tulare County, California and Franklin County, Washington, the Center immediately instructed the industry to suspend the import of poultry and poultry products (including eggs) from the above-mentioned regions to protect the public health of Hong Kong.
A spokesman for the Center said that according to data from the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 1,170 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 150.45 million eggs from Japan in the first six months of this year, and about 40,950 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 13.86 million eggs from the United States.
The spokesman said: “The Center has contacted the Japanese and American authorities on the incident, and will continue to closely monitor the news issued by the World Organization for Animal Health and relevant authorities on the outbreak of avian influenza, and take appropriate actions according to the development of the local epidemic.”