HONG KONG - Hong Kong's food safety authorities decided on Thursday to suspend the import of poultry meat and products from Kagoshima Prefecture in Japan, and the French Canton of Armagnac-Ténarèze due to the bird flu outbreaks.

The Center for Food Safety (CFS) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said this was in view of notifications from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan about an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza in Kagoshima Prefecture, as well as from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) about an outbreak of the low pathogenic H5N3 avian influenza in the French Canton of Armagnac-Ténarèze.

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The CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products, including poultry eggs, from these areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

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