Hong Kong bans poultry from US, Turkey

Hong Kong has banned the import of poultry meat and products, including eggs, from the US and Turkey.

The Centre for Food Safety of Hong Kong's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced the ban, which it said was due to outbreaks of avian influenza in the US in Nebraska and South Dakota as well as a notification from the World Organisation for Animal (OIE) Health that H5N1 bird flu has been detected in Manisa Province, Turkey.

A CFS spokesman said that Hong Kong imported about 267,000 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 530m poultry eggs from the US last year. No poultry meat or eggs were imported from Turkey in the same period.

"The CFS has contacted the US and Turkish authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE on avian influenza outbreaks in the two countries. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.

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