Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety (CFS) said on October 20, 2026, that it had instructed the trade to suspend imports of poultry meat and products, including poultry eggs, from several areas in Canada and the United States, with immediate effect. The measure followed notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health about highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza outbreaks. The affected areas were the Municipality of Pembina in Manitoba, Canada, and Stearns County and Benton County in Minnesota and Jay County in Indiana in the US.

A CFS spokesman cited Census and Statistics Department figures showing that in the first six months of the year, while no poultry meat or eggs were imported into Hong Kong from Canada, about 24 190 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 20.2 million poultry eggs were imported from the US. The figures did not specify how much came from the affected counties.

The CFS said it had contacted the Canadian and American authorities and would closely monitor information from the World Organisation for Animal Health and the relevant authorities, taking appropriate action as the situation developed. The suspension was reported as a public health measure based on information available at that date.