Dutch government officials say the banning by Hong Kong of poultry and poultry products from the Province of Friesland in the Netherlands, due to a reported outbreak of low pathogenic H7N9 avian influenza, is fully “in line” with existing agreements between the Netherlands and Hong Kong.
A spokesman for the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs also told poultrynews that it received an official message from Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety (CFS) concerning the ban and that it is now in contact with the Hong Kong authorities concerning further developments.
“We trust that Hong Kong will open its borders again after the necessary measures are taken in the Netherlands and the agreed waiting time has elapsed after the outbreak, as has been the case in the past,” said the spokesman.
He also applauded the alertness of everyone involved in the outbreak for helping to prevent the possible spreading of the disease.
“The alertness of the farmer, the expertise of his private veterinarian, the NVWA* animal health team and the official veterinary laboratory, all led to an early finding of the outbreak and the resultant culling of the poultry concerned,” said the spokesman.
* NVWA is the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority
