Import of poultry meat and products from areas in Sweden and France suspended

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (January 19) that in view of notifications from the Swedish Board of Agriculture and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 and H5 avian influenza in Ystad Municipality of Skåne County in Sweden and Vendée Department in France respectively, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the above-mentioned areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 50 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Sweden, and about 170 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 280 000 poultry eggs from France in the first nine months of last year.

"The CFS has contacted the Swedish and French authorities over the issues 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 spokesman said.

Ends/Friday, January 19, 2024