Hong Kong bans poultry products from Japan, Britain

The Hong Kong food safety authority on Monday said it has banned the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from Japan and Britain over bird flu outbreaks.

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of Hong Kong's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department banned the import after an outbreak of H5 avian influenza in Japan's Hokkaido Prefecture, Xinhua news agency reported.

It also banned import from Britain's Lincolnshire after H5N8 outbreak was confirmed in the area.

In addition, an import ban on poultry meat and products from Serbia has also been imposed with immediate effect following reports of H5N8 avian influenza in the European country.

"The CFS has contacted the Japanese, UK and Serbian authorities over these issues and will closely monitor information on avian influenza outbreaks in the countries concerned. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," a spokesman said.

--IANS

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