Hong Kong suspends import of poultry products from U.S. over bird flu

HONG KONG, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's food safety authority decided on Monday to suspend the import of poultry meat and products from bird flu-affected areas in the United States.

The Center for Food Safety (CFS) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said the decision was made in view of a notification from the World Organization for Animal Health about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Queen Anne's County of the State of Maryland, Jefferson County of the State of Wisconsin, Taylor County of the State of Iowa, and Lawrence County and Jasper County of the State of Missouri in the United States.

The CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products, including poultry eggs, from the areas with immediate effect.