BANGKOK (The Nation/Asia News Network): The Department of Livestock Development is accelerating efforts to establish China as an alternative market for Thailand’s livestock products in light of the 100% increase in frozen chicken exports in the first 5 months of 2023 and expectations that this growth will continue.
At the same time, China has announced its intention to authorise the import of ducks and duck products.
Dr Somchuan Ratanamungklanon, the department’s director general, recently held discussions with Wang Fuxiao, deputy director general of the Bureau of Import and Export Food Safety, General Administration of Customs (GACC), regarding the promotion of livestock product exports between Thailand and China.
Now that the GACC has expanded the scope of exports to include parts and organs of Thai ducks, the Livestock Development department is preparing the draft procedures and submitting this document to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for review before presenting it to the Cabinet for authorisation by the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives to proceed with the signing.
Discussions have also been held on the China Import Food Enterprise Registration system (CIFER) to enable officials from the Livestock Development department along with entrepreneurs wanting to export livestock products to China, to comply with GACC regulations and procedures accurately. This includes inviting experts from GACC to provide training and enhance understanding of the CIFER system's usage in Thailand.
In addition, a project proposal has been submitted for academic and technical exchanges between the Department and the GACC including the exchange of personnel at the operational level, allowing officers stationed at animal quarantine checkpoints to participate in job shadowing and learning experiences at both Thai and Chinese checkpoints.
The aim is to enhance their knowledge and foster cooperative relationships.
"China will be a crucial trading partner for Thailand in the export of livestock products, which have continuous growth potential,” Dr. Somchuan noted.
“This is due to the excellent bilateral relationship between the two countries and the supervision provided by the department to ensure that the production processes meet the requirements of good manufacturing practices (GMP) and hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) according to global standards.
Additionally, strong cooperation between the Thai government and private sector is emphasised, with strict adherence to the established procedures. Exports of other livestock products from Thailand to China include honey, bird nests, and dairy products."
GACC’s Wang Fuxiao, meanwhile, expressed confidence in GACC's supervision, inspection, and health certification processes for the production of frozen poultry meat and parts, including processed poultry products, from the department, noting that these comply with the provisions of the bilateral agreement between the Thai Agriculture and Cooperatives ministry and the GACC regarding inspection criteria, quarantine, and veterinary health requirements.
There are currently 20 Thai factories that are able to export to China. The volume of export of frozen chicken meat and parts to China has doubled in the first 5 months of 2023, compared to the same period in 2022.
Moreover, GACC will collaborate with the Department of Livestock Development to establish more efficient and streamlined coordination channels for tracking the registration and certification process of livestock products destined for export to China.
This includes addressing the issue of several factories that are awaiting certification from GACC, as well as temporarily suspending the export of products from three registered chicken factories. The aim is to expedite the resumption of export activities for these factories once the data has been thoroughly examined and verified for accuracy.
GACC has confirmed that it is ready to collaborate in providing training and enhancing understanding of the CIFER system as well as support the proposal for an exchange programme.
