WorldPoultry: Hong Kong bans eggs from Cambodia

Hong Kong has banned the import of poultry eggs from Cambodia, following the outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in an Cambodian village.

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department received notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) on January 31 of the outbreak and immediately imposed the ban.

A CFS spokesman said Hong Kong does not import any live poultry or poultry meat from Cambodia, but, according to records, about 170,000 poultry eggs were imported into Hong Kong from Cambodia last year.

"We will closely monitor information issued by the OIE on the avian influenza outbreak and the latest situation in Cambodia, and will maintain close contact with major local egg importers, distributors and supermarkets," the spokesman said.