November 24, 2004

 

 

EU May Ban Thailand's Heat-Treated Chicken Imports

 

The European Union (EU) has threatened to cancel imports of heat-treated chicken from Thailand due the lingering deadly bird flu virus. The Asian country was also warned to stop any further outbreaks and use preventive measures, including anti-flu vaccines, according to major chicken exporters.

 

Saha Farm's chairman Panya Chotithewarn stated that if the EU sticks to its threat, other major importers such as Japan and South Korea may follow suit to impose such bans on Thai chicken.

 

"Thailand presently exports an average of 20,000 tons of heat-treated chickens daily to overseas markets. If the EU and other major importers of Thai chicken actually go ahead with the plan to ban any imports from Thailand, this could severely damage the Thai chicken industry," he said.

 

He added that the government has failed to impose serious enough measures to tackle the situation, citing the re-emergence of the flu in April after the country was declared free of the disease earlier in the year.

 

The government's measures authorised provincial governors and livestock department officials in the affected areas to cull chickens showing symptoms of the disease.

 

In spite of these measures, some small-scale chicken farmers as well as fighting cock farmers managed to move their chickens secretly out of the affected areas without complying to the government's regulation aimed at bringing the issue under control.

 

Panya said he wants the government to severely punish chicken farmers who do not comply with the law. This is in addition to trying to trace the source of the bird flu disease, while culling any affected chickens immediately.

 

"The government's measures are rather lax. Some chicken farmers put their own interests first at the expense of the country's economy. A harsh penalty against those failing to comply with the government's laws could prompt chicken farmers to [follow the law]."

 

Saha Farm has had to revamp its business by raising the amount of its chicken sales in the Thai market by up to 70 percent from 30 percent previously. This was due to falling export figures, he said.

 

Before the outbreak, Saha Farm had earmarked 80-90 percent of its total chicken products for export, with the rest for sale in the domestic market, said Panya.

 

If other foreign countries decide to follow in the EU's footsteps by banning Thai chicken imports, then Saha Farm will be forced to alter its selling position, and cater solely for the domestic market.

 

But Panya has affirmed that all of Saha Farm's chicken products are bird flu-free.

 

Meanwhile, the Thai Chamber of Commerce's deputy secretary-general Ponsilp Patcharintanakula said the EU's proposed ban has received strong backing from chicken breeders and exporters in the EU, primarily from Hungary, Poland and France which he claimed are major competitors with Thailand for chicken exports.

 

The Thai government should ask the World Trade Organization to look into the matter if it deems the EU's stance on the ban to be unfair," said Ponsilp.