April 13, 2006

Hong Kong partially lifts ban on French poultry imports

Hong Kong's food safety officials said Wednesday (Apr 12) the territory will resume processing poultry imports from France, but a ban on poultry from four French regions will continue to be effective because they have not been cleared of bird flu threats.

Hong Kong will immediately reprocess French poultry products except those imports that come from the regions of Ain, Saone-et-Loire, Rhone and Isere, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said in a statement.

"Restrictions are not lifted for these four areas as they are still under surveillance in connection with the outbreak," the statement said.

Hong Kong suspended in February imports of poultry from France--including meat and internal organs--after the country reported the EU's first outbreak of the lethal H5N1 bird flu strain in commercial fowl stocks.

cl measures, the statement said.