Hong Kong suspends poultry and egg imports from US and UK regions due to avian influenza outbreaks

Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety has suspended imports of poultry meat, products, and eggs from four US counties and Scotland's Isle of Lewis following detections of highly pathogenic H5N1 and H5N5 avian influenza. The suspension affects significant import volumes, including approximately 24,190 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and 20.2 million eggs from the US in the first half of 2026. Hong Kong authorities are monitoring updates from the World Organisation for Animal Health and will adjust measures as the outbreak situation develops.

Hong Kong's import suspension targets five specific outbreak locations: four counties across the US upper midwest and northern regions, plus one Scottish island. The affected US areas—Minnesota, Montana, and Wisconsin—collectively supplied the majority of Hong Kong's poultry imports during the first half of 2026, with shipments totaling tens of thousands of tonnes of meat products and millions of eggs. UK shipments represented a smaller volume but still contributed meaningfully to Hong Kong's poultry supply chain.

The Centre for Food Safety is maintaining active coordination with international health bodies and foreign governments to monitor the situation in real time. Officials have indicated they will reassess restrictions as outbreak conditions change or improve, suggesting the suspension is intended as a temporary protective measure rather than a permanent trade barrier. The decision reflects the precautionary approach many Asian food safety authorities take toward highly pathogenic avian influenza variants.