EU to lift import ban of Thai frozen chicken

BANGKOK, April 4 (TNA) - After imposing an import ban of Thai frozen chicken for about eight years, the European Union (EU) is expected to lift its ban mid this year, said Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Theera Wongsamut on Wednesday. Theera said Thai Agricultural Affairs Office in the EU had informed that the Directorate General for Health and Consumers held a meeting Tuesday and agreed to lift the import ban which was imposed on Thai frozen chicken on January 23, 2004 due to the outbreak of bird flu. It is expected that the decision would be officially published in the EU Official Journal this June which would allow the kingdom to resume its export of frozen chicken to the EU in July, Theera said. The Livestock Development Department has been assigned to coordinate with the Commerce Ministry in preparing frozen chicken export quota and it is projected initially that the country could export about 50,000 tonnes to the EU this year and the country could fetch four billion baht, Theera said. The decision would benefit Thailand as several countries including Japan which are still banning imports of Thai frozen chicken may reconsider their decision, he added. (TNA)