The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza. Affected regions include Sevilla Province of Andalucía and Valladolid Province of Castilla y Leon in Spain, and Hants County of Nova Scotia Province in Canada.

As a result of the outbreaks, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products, including poultry eggs, from the listed regions, effective immediately. The aim of the suspension is to protect public health in Hong Kong.

According to its Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 860 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 1.78 million poultry eggs from Spain, and about 1,020 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat from Canada last year.

"The CFS has contacted the Spanish and Canadian authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE 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."

Similar suspensions were issued to regions in the countries of Vietnam, UK, Poland, Korea, Japan and Denmark this week.