Hong Kong Bans Import of Kumamoto Poultry

Hong Kong’s Center for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today, April 14, that in view of a notification from the Japanese authorities about an outbreak of high-pathogenic H5 avian influenza on a broiler farm in Kumamoto Prefecture, it has banned the import of poultry and poultry products, including poultry eggs, from the prefecture with immediate effect for the protection of Hong Kong's public and animal health.

According to Japan's Agricultural Ministry, two chickens have tested positive for avian influenza at a farm in Japan's Kumamoto prefecture where more than 1,000 chickens have died, marking the country's first case of bird flu since it was detected in 2011 in the Chiba prefecture, north of Tokyo.

A CFS spokesman said about 8,000 metric tons of frozen poultry meat and 17 million poultry eggs were imported into Hong Kong from Japan last year.

The CFS said it has contacted the Japanese authorities over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the World Organization for Animal Health on avian influenza outbreaks in the country. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation.