About 1,000 pig farmers rallied outside Government House yesterday to demand action over smuggled imports of foreign pork and the high cost of feed, both of which they claimed have driven up pork prices.
Representatives of the group also submitted their complaint to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, saying both problems are seriously damaging the local pork industry, which is worth at least 100 billion baht.
According to Surachai Sutthitham, president of the Swine Raisers Association of Thailand, the association’s complaints about the problem of smuggled pork have fallen on deaf ears for around a year now.
As the problem has continued to intensify, the association petitioned the Department of Livestock Development (DLD) on several occasions last year, urging it to order a swift crackdown on illegally imported pork.
He said pork smuggling is a complex issue, and it is highly likely some state officials may be complicit.
Mr Surachai said certain regulations governing the practices, criteria and legal conditions of pork imports might have been compromised to facilitate the smuggling via “nothing-to-declare” channels at the border.
The problem is compounded by the runaway cost of pig feed which has gone up excessively.
Authorities have dismissed the price rise as an “old issue”. However, the association insisted this means it should have been dealt with earlier.
The association has been working with the Department of Internal Trade and wholesale businesses and asked that retail prices of the pork sold at their stores be maintained to help curtail the losses suffered by farmers, but to no avail.
Mr Surachai said the association wants Thai law enforcement authorities to bring pork smugglers to justice and urged the DLD to slow the imports of pork entrails, some of which were suspected of having been brought into the country illegally.