HONG KONG - Hong Kong's Center for Food Safety on Monday announced that it had banned the import of poultry and poultry products, including poultry eggs, from Kumamoto Prefecture of Japan with immediate effect.

The move was taken for the protection of Hong Kong's public and animal health as the center received notification from the Japanese authorities about an outbreak of high-pathogenic H5 avian influenza on a broiler farm in the prefecture.

A spokesman for the center said about 8,000 tons of frozen poultry meat and 17 million poultry eggs were imported into Hong Kong from Japan last year.

The center has contacted the Japanese authorities over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the World Organization for Animal Health on avian influenza outbreaks in the country. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation.