Hong Kong suspends poultry imports from Poland and the Netherlands on bird flu fears
Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety (CFS) announced that it is banning poultry imports from the Nidzicki District of Warmińsko-mazurskie Region in Poland and the Limburg Province in the Netherlands after reports of H5N8 bird flu were confirmed by animal health officials.The import suspension covers poultry meat and products, including eggs. A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 2,920 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 12.06 million poultry eggs from Poland in the first three months of this year. The city imported about 380 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from the Netherlands in the first three months of this year.
"The CFS has contacted the Polish [and Dutch] authority over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the World Organisation for Animal Health and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreak. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.