Hong Kong suspends import of poultry products from France over bird flu

Food safety authority of China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Wednesday said it had suspended the importation of poultry products from Landes Department in southwestern France over an outbreak of bird flu.

The HKSAR government’s food and environmental hygiene department said it had instructed the trade to suspend import of poultry meat and products including poultry eggs, from the area with immediate effect.

“This is to protect public health in Hong Kong in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about an outbreak of low-pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza in Landes,” the government said.

A CFS spokesman said that in the first nine months of 2017, Hong Kong imported about 10,700 tons of chilled and frozen poultry meat and 7 million poultry eggs from France.

“The CFS has contacted French authorities over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE on avian influenza outbreaks,” the spokesman said.

“Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation.”