January 28, 2004

Thai Cooked Chickens Allowed In EU, HK, Singapore

The European Union, Hong Kong and Singapore have decided to permit imports of Thai cooked chicken, provided that certain conditions are met, Banphot Hongthong, permanent secretary of Thailand's Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, said Wednesday.

"The E.U. now accepts Thai chickens that have been cooked at 70 degrees Celsius and also chickens that have been slaughtered before Jan. 1, while Hong Kong and Singapore are allowing imports of Thai cooked chickens," Banphot told a radio program.

The European Union, the second biggest importer of Thai chickens after Japan, last week banned Thai chicken imports amid fears over bird flu, which has now been confirmed in 25 of Thailand's 76 provinces and has killed two people in the country.

Japan and other importing countries, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangladesh, have also banned Thai chicken imports.

"I can confirm that cooked chicken is 100% safe to consume," Banphot said.

Thai cooked chicken exports account for around 20% of total exports, he said.

Thailand is the world's fourth largest chicken exporter after the U.S., Brazil and China. Last year, it exported 540,000 metric tons of chickens worth 54 billion baht ($1=THB39.249).