HONG KONG (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's food safety authority on Monday announced that it would suspend imports of poultry meat and products from Kittitas County in Washington state, the United States, due to an outbreak of bird flu in the region.
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has instructed the trade to suspend imports of poultry meat and products, including eggs, from the area with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.
The CFS said the decision was made in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in the area.
The CFS has contacted the American authorities over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the outbreak.
Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation, a CFS spokesperson said. -- Xinhua
