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EmailIphone Application    Posted: 6th January 2023
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Hong Kong set to end ban on hamster imports
The Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department intends to lift the import ban in mid-January.
Authorities are planning to resume importation from mid-January.

Hong Kong authorities are set to lift a year-long ban on the import of hamsters amid a relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions in the city.

Hamster importations were banned in Hong Kong last year after a worker at the Little Boss pet shop tested positive for the Delta variant of the virus. Tests conducted by authorities on the animals in the shop revealed that 11 hamsters imported from the Netherlands were infected. 

Owing to the zero-tolerance COVID policy in China, Hong Kong subsequently ordered the culling of some 2,000 hamsters, prompting a backlash from animal rights campaigners and pet owners against the measures.

Speaking to BBC News, a spokesperson from the Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said it intends to lift the import ban in mid-January.

"Our staff will arrange to collect samples from hamsters and other small mammals for Covid-19 testing. They can only be sold if the test results are negative," the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Hong Kong added: "If such imports are to resume, the hamsters need to be handled with consideration [and] given the best care possible during transport and quarantine.”

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Prof Joanne Webster elected as Fellow of the Royal Society

News Story 1
 Joanne Webster, a professor of parasitic diseases at the RVC, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).

An infectious disease expert, Prof Webster is known for promoting a One Health approach to disease control.

She completed her doctoral research in zoonotic disease and parasite-host interactions, and has since earned widespread recognition for contributions to parasitology and global health.

Prof Webster said: "I am truly honoured, and somewhat stunned, to be recognised alongside such an exceptional group of scientists." 

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News Shorts
Germany FMD import restrictions eased

The UK government has lifted the import restrictions placed on FMD-susceptible commodities from Germany.

The decision comes after the country was recognised as foot-and-mouth disease free without vaccination on 14 May.

Imports of FMD-susceptible animals and their by-products from Germany were originally banned, after the country reported a case of FMD near Brandenburg in January. In March, the UK government permitted imports from outside of the outbreak zone.

Germany will now be able to import FMD-susceptible animals and their by-products into the UK, providing they meet other import conditions.

The decision follows rigorous technical assessment of measures in Germany. Defra says it will not hesitate respond to FMD outbreaks.