Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced yesterday that trade of poultry meat and products, including eggs, has been suspended for some regions of the United States. 

he announcement was made in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Ionia County of the State of Michigan and Parmer County of the State of Texas in the United States. 

CFS said the aim of the suspension is to protect public health in Hong Kong. 

A CFS spokesperson said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 37 770 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 83.84 million poultry eggs from the US last year.

​​"The CFS has contacted the American authority over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH 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."