Import of poultry and poultry products from Jinchuan District of Jinchang City in Gansu Province and Xiaochang County of Xiaogan City in Hubei Province suspended

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (October 11) that in view of notifications from the Ministry of Agriculture and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about confirmed cases of highly pathogenic H5N6 sub-type avian influenza in Jinchuan District of Jinchang City in Gansu Province and Xiaochang County of Xiaogan City in Hubei Province, it has followed the existing approach for control of highly pathogenic avian influenza and taken recommendations from the OIE into account to ban the import of poultry and poultry products, including poultry eggs, from an area within a radius of three kilometres from the said places for a period of 90 days, and from an area within a radius of 13 kilometres for 21 days, with immediate effect for the protection of public health in Hong Kong.

A spokesman for the CFS said that, according to information from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the outbreaks do not affect any registered Mainland poultry farms for export to Hong Kong. Additionally, no registered poultry meat or poultry egg processing plants are currently situated within the import restriction zones concerned.

The Centre will closely monitor the latest developments of the avian influenza cases in the two provinces and take appropriate follow-up action as necessary.


Ends/Tuesday, October 11, 2016