Poultry products from Lombardy, Italy banned

Avian flu fears prompt Hong Kong to take move.

Hong Kong has banned the imports of poultry and poultry products from Italy's Lombardy Region due to threat of avian flu, said the Center for Food Safety.

The ban was enforced following a notification from the European Commission of an outbreak of low-pathogenic H5 sub-type avian influenza in poultry in Brescia Province in Lombardy.

The center said it has contacted the Italian authority over the matter and will monitor information issued by the European Commission on the influenza outbreak in Italy. Appropriate actions will be taken in response to developments.

About 2,000 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and 120,000 poultry eggs from Italy were imported by Hong Kong last year.

An import ban on similar products from Emilia-Romagna Province in Italy has been in effect since Aug 17.