Gov’t halts poultry imports from UK, Poland over bird flu outbreaks

The affected areas include Cheshire East, Ostróda, and Konin Districts.

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) has suspended the import of poultry meat, products, and eggs from parts of the United Kingdom and Poland after outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza were reported.

The affected areas include Cheshire East District in the UK, and Ostróda and Konin Districts in Poland, according to notifications from the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

Hong Kong imported about 390 tonnes of poultry meat and 830,000 eggs from the UK, and around 1,730 tonnes of poultry meat from Poland in the first half of this year, CFS data show.

A CFS spokesperson said the department has contacted authorities in both countries and will continue to monitor the situation closely. The import ban takes effect immediately.