Hong Kong suspends poultry imports in response to HPAI outbreaks

The Center for Food Safety (CFS) in Hong Kong announced the suspension, citing the World Organization for Animal Health's (OIE) confirmation of H5N1 outbreaks in certain areas as the main reason for taking the precautionary measure. Affected regions include one county in Arkansas, two counties in California, one county in Colorado, one county in Ohio, and one county in Wisconsin, all in the United States.

According to CFS, the suspended imports cover a significant volume of poultry products: in the first nine months of 2023, Hong Kong imported almost 21,500 metric tons of chilled poultry meat, as well as 57 million chicken eggs from US producers.

Poland , another country affected by bird flu, sent about 2,140 tons of frozen poultry meat to Hong Kong. Similarly, UK producers exported around 540 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and around 400,000 chicken eggs during the same period, a CFS spokesman said in a statement.

This strategic move is consistent with global efforts to limit the transmission of infectious diseases and underscores Hong Kong's commitment to protecting public health. CFS is expected to monitor the situation closely and the import suspension is likely to be lifted once authorities are confident that the risk of HPAI transmission is effectively controlled.