August 4, 2006

Hong Kong bans poultry imports from Netherlands after bird flu case

Hong Kong has banned all poultry imports from the Netherlands after a mild strain of bird flu was found on a farm there, a spokesman from the Food and Environmental Hygiene department said Thursday (Aug 3).

Authorities are seeking further information from Dutch sources about the case.

The territory imported 7,000 tonnes of frozen poultry from the Netherlands last year.

The Dutch agriculture ministry detected traces of the mildly pathogenic H7 strain of bird flu, Tuesday (Aug 1). Tests are being carried out to determine the risks posed by the strain.