HONG KONG, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's food safety authority decided on Monday to suspend the import of poultry meat and products from Rural Municipality of Buffalo No. 409 in Saskatchewan Province in Canada, and Tarn-et-Garonne Department and Dordogne Department in France due to the bird flu outbreaks in these regions.

The Center for Food Safety (CFS) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department 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.

A CFS spokesperson said it was in view of notifications from the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in these areas.

The CFS has contacted the Canadian and French authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation, the spokesperson said. ■