The food safety authority of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) announced Wednesday a ban on import of poultry meat and eggs from Maine-et-Loire Department of France.
In view of a notification from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) about an outbreak of low-pathogenic H5N3 avian influenza in Maine-et-Loire Department of France, the Center for Food Safety (CFS) of the Hong Kong SAR government's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has banned the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the area with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.
A CFS spokesman said that in the first six months of this year, Hong Kong imported about 7,700 tons of frozen and chilled poultry meat and 6 million poultry eggs from France.
"The CFS has contacted the French authorities over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE on avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.
