The Center for Food Safety (CFS) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said that in view of notifications from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in the Czech Republic and an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza in Vinnytsia Oblast in Ukraine, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products, including poultry eggs, from the above areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

A CFS spokesman said that since Hong Kong has not established any protocol with the Czech Republic for import of poultry meat and eggs, there is no import of such commodities from the country.

According to the HKSAR government's Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 3,100 tons of frozen poultry meat and 59.7 million poultry eggs from Ukraine in the first nine months of last year.

"The CFS has contacted the Czech and Ukrainian authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE and the relevant authorities on avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate actions will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.