HONG KONG, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- The food safety authority of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) announced on Monday suspension of poultry products imports from the province of Milan in Italy over an outbreak of bird flu.
In view of a notification from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) about the outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in Milan, the Center for Food Safety (CFS) of the HKSAR government's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products, including poultry eggs, from the province.
The suspension, with immediate effect, is to protect public health in Hong Kong, the CFS said.
A CFS spokesman said that in the first nine months of this year, Hong Kong imported about 1,300 tons of frozen poultry meat and 12,000 poultry eggs from Italy.
"The CFS has contacted the Italian authorities over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE on avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.
