Hong Kong suspends poultry imports from UK, Germany and South Korea

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department in Hong Kong has suspended the import of poultry meat and products from certain areas in the UK, Germany and South Korea.

The move was made by CFS after a notification was released by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of Korea regarding outbreaks of the highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza.

The outbreak was identified in Lisburn and Castlereagh District of Northern Ireland, Cuxhaven District in the State of Niedersachsen, Germany; and Namyangju-si, Anseong-si and Pocheon-si in Gyeonggi-do Province, South Korea.

The outbreak was also discovered in other parts of South Korea, including Hongseong-gun of Chungcheongnam-do Province; Mungyeong-si of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province; and Goseong-gun of Gyeongsangnam-do Province of Korea.

A CFS spokesman said: “The CFS has contacted the British, German and Korean authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE and the relevant authorities on avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate actions will be taken in response to the development of the situation.”

CFS has instructed companies to immediately suspend the import of poultry meat and eggs from the above-mentioned areas to protect the health of Hong Kong citizens.

According to the Hong Kong’s Census and Statistics Department, in the first nine months of 2020, the country imported around 8,700t of chilled and frozen poultry meat and 330,000 poultry eggs from the UK, and around 2,500t of frozen poultry meat and 880,000 poultry eggs from Germany.

The country’s imports also include about 740t of chilled and frozen poultry meat and 8.9 million poultry eggs from Korea, around the same period.