December 18, 2013

Japan approves import of Thai frozen chicken

With an expectation to commence shipping next month, Thailand's Department of Livestock has revealed that Japan has approved Thai frozen chicken exports.

Livestock Department Director General Tissadee Chawsuancharoen said earlier in March his department had invited Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) to inspect Thailand's animal disease evaluation system, animal transportation, quarantine zones, and poultry slaughterhouses. The MAFF inspectors also had a chance to look into the kingdom's bird flu preventive measures.

The inspections are necessary to ensure Japan that the nation's products are free of bird flu.

According to Tissadee, the Japanese administration on December 9th endorsed Thailand's bird-flu-free status after it had processed the information collected from the visit.

The Livestock Department and its Japanese counterpart have been discussing the details of the deal, expecting to reach an agreement by the end of this week. If all goes well, Thailand should be able to begin shipping its frozen chicken to Japan next month.