Hong Kong suspends import of poultry and poultry products from certain regions in the United States

The Food Safety Centre of the Food Environment Hygiene Department in Hong Kong announced on March 23 that, in response to a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health, outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza have occurred in Orange County, Florida; Walworth County, Wisconsin; and Crawford County, Indiana. The Centre immediately instructed the industry to suspend the import of poultry and poultry products (including eggs) from these regions to protect public health in Hong Kong. A Centre spokesperson said that, according to government statistics, Hong Kong imported approximately 54,830 metric tons of chilled and frozen poultry and about 4.33 million poultry eggs from the United States last year. (Hong Kong SAR Government Press Release)