April 9, 2015

Hong Kong bans poultry imports from bird flu-affected countries

Hong Kong will suspend poultry imports from countries affected by avian influenza to ensure public health safety, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced.

The affected regions include areas in the US, Canada, the Netherlands, Gaza Strip (Palestine) and Burkina Faso.

In 2014, the Special Administrative Region brought in 267,000 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and 530 million eggs from the US; about 15,000 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and 12.3 million eggs from the Netherlands; and about 9,000 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and 1.58 million eggs from Canada.

In the same year, there were no deliveries from Palestine and Burkina Faso.