Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced Monday the suspension of poultry imports from Dodge County, Minnesota, citing an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza and the need to protect public health in Hong Kong as the reason behind the suspension.

A CFS spokesperson said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 16,480 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 7.73 million poultry eggs from the US in the first three months of this 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 outbreak. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesperson said.