Hong Kong halts poultry imports from Hungary, Japan over bird flu

HONG KONG The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department FEHD of Hong Kong suspended the import of poultry meat and products from two regions of B k s County in Hungary and Tottori Prefecture in Japan on Thursday.

The decision came after the World Organisation for Animal Health WOAH and Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries alerted Hong Kong s authorities about the outbreak of highly pathogenic H 5 N 1 avian influenza in B k s and H 5 avian influenza in Tottori Prefecture, the Centre for Food Safety CFS of the FEHD said in a statement.

According to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 250 tons of frozen poultry meat from Hungary, about 292.13 million poultry eggs from Japan and about 292.13 million poultry eggs from Japan in the first nine months of the year, according to a CFS spokesman.

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According to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 250 tons of frozen poultry meat from Hungary, around 1, 260 tons of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 292.13 million poultry eggs from Japan in the first nine months of this year, according to a CFS spokesman.

Hong Kong currently has an established protocol with Hungary for the import of poultry meat, but not poultry eggs, the spokesman said.

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The CFS is in contact with the Hungarian and Japanese authorities about the issues and will closely monitor the information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreaks. The spokesman said that appropriate action will be taken based on the development of the situation.