An outbreak of avian influenza is prompting Asian food authorities to ban imports of poultry.
Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department yesterday announced that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health about an American outbreak of low-pathogenic H7N7 avian influenza on a poultry farm in Scott County, Arkansas, it has banned the import of poultry and poultry products, including poultry eggs, from the county with immediate effect for the protection of Hong Kong's public and animal health.
"We have contacted the American authorities over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE on the avian influenza outbreaks in the country. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.
About 320,000 tons of frozen poultry meat, 9 tons of chilled poultry meat, and 520,000,000 poultry eggs were imported into Hong Kong from the US last year.
