September 16, 2013

Together with 250,000 local pig farmers, Thailand's Swine Raisers Association will write to the Trade Negotiations Department and the US Embassy, in an effort to prevent the forced opening of the domestic market to US pork products.

"We insist that pork imports from the US are prohibited in any way as they will seriously damage the pig-farming industry in Thailand," Surachai Sutthitham, president of the association, said on September 12.

He said, that in order to prevent US pork products from entering Thailand, they will work together in identifying and reporting such shipments to the country.

Letters will be sent directly to Piramon Charoenpao, director-general of the department, and to the US commercial counsellor.

Recently, the US pressured Thailand through the department to accelerate negotiations on allowing US pork into the Thai market. The US also offered to improve the use of beta-agonists, which make meat redder, up to Codex standards. The Codex Alimentarius is a collection of internationally recognised standards, codes of practice, guidelines and other recommendations relating to foods, food production and food safety.

The US has admitted that the use of beta-agonists, a chemical which is not permitted for use at any livestock farm in Thailand by the Public Health Ministry, causes problems for canners, he said.

The association insists that a sufficient number of swine are produced locally for domestic consumption, with a report of an oversupply.

He pointed Vietnam as an example of local swine raisers having to shut down as they could not compete with the lower prices of US product, after the US gained access to the pork market.