Suppliers are already having issues with FTAs.
PUBLISHED: 18 Apr 2025 at 05: 49
The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives received a rally at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to voice their concerns about a state plan to allow US meat imports in exchange for some business gap things. The Beef Cattle Association of Thailand joined with more than 60 related organizations.
The farmers worry that a move like this would hurt the local market, which is already under strain from cheap imports from Australia and New Zealand.
Members of the association have written to the prime minister in opposition, according to Sitthiporn Boorananath, vice president.
” We think allowing US beef and meat imports would only exacerbate grower struggles,” we said. He claimed that the effects of free trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand currently apply to us.
The organization contends that this plan conflicts with Thai laws that forbid the use of growth hormones in cattle, a process that is prevalent in the US.
Growth hormones are recognized as harmful, and their inclusion in Thai beef had put a strain on Thai consumers ‘ health.
Little cattle farmers were excluded from discussions, according to Mr. Sitthiporn, who criticized the government’s new handling of the issue. He remarked,” The government gave focus to big pork producers before backing down, but now there is a push to buy meat or beef offal instead.”
He added that the association may also ask the ministers of finance and business to reconsider the policy in its petition.
It claims that over 1.4 million households that raise cattle in Thailand are currently struggling with falling animals costs.
These producers have been subject to economic hardship as a result of goods under the free trade agreement with Australia, which they claim has raised concerns about the region’s food safety.
The plan has” a direct impact on Thai cattle farmers,” he said, adding that the number of families with over 9.6 million cattle is “above 288 billion baht.”
Cattle farmers across the nation will protest if the government decides to allow the importation of meat and meat offal, according to Sewiang Saengkhaw, a farmer of beef cattle in Phatthalung.
The government argues that the plan is an incentive to demand lower transfer taxes on Thai goods entering the United States. The exports would hurt native cattle farmers, particularly the small-scale producers, who are already suffering from lower cattle prices and who have been forced to stop raising cattle entirely.
The organization warned that the imports of US meat was hurt Thailand’s status on world markets in addition to financial concerns. Thai steak may not be imported into countries like Malaysia, Vietnam, and China, which have strict growth hormone laws.
The Thai Cattle Association urged the government to reevaluate its trade policy in order to protect farmers and maintain the nation’s long-term financial security.