April 14, 2025

Thai swine farmers launch protest against pork imports from US

 

Over 1,000 swine farmers gathered at the Finance Ministry in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 10, calling for protection of Thailand's pork industry against imports of pork and pork offal from the United States.

 

The protest followed the Thai Cabinet's recent approval of US pork offal imports as part of efforts to ease the impact of Washington's 36% reciprocal tariff on Thai exports. On April 8, the Swine Raisers Association of Thailand (SRAT) and associated farmer networks submitted a formal objection at Government House.

 

SRAT president Sitthiphan Thanakiatpinyo said swine farming has long been an integral part of Thai agriculture, providing income for farming households across generations.

 

"Despite the many challenges we face, farmers and relevant government agencies remain committed to improving and developing the sector to produce clean and safe pork for Thai consumers," he said.

 

Sitthiphan warned that importing pork and offal from the US would severely affect local farmers and related industries. He called on the Finance Minister to protect swine farming as a means of preserving national food security. He expressed support for the government's plan to import essential animal feed ingredients that are currently in short supply, such as corn and soybean meal.

 

Importing feed ingredients is far more worthwhile than importing US pork and offal, which could jeopardise Thailand's pork industry and its supply chain, Sitthiphan said.

 

"Thailand's current pork production matches domestic consumption levels. Allowing US pork into the market would create a surplus, disrupting the entire supply chain," he added, drawing parallels to the 2021 pork smuggling crisis that caused widespread job losses among farmers.

 

Sitthiphan also raised concerns about safety standards. Unlike Thailand, where red meat accelerators are banned by the Agriculture and Public Health Ministries, US pork may still contain such substances. He noted that European countries reject chicken meat from sources using certain antibiotics. Thailand has aligned its regulations with European standards to support exports, including bans on similar antibiotic groups.

 

Sitthiphan concluded by urging the government to withdraw the proposal to import pork and offal from the US, in order to safeguard the livelihoods of Thai farmers and the wellbeing of the Thai public.

 

- The Nation