Thai Chicken Exports Boosted By Revocation Of EU Ban

BANGKOK, April 23 (TNA) - Europe’s recent decision to lift its import ban on frozen fresh chicken from Thailand, effective from July 1, 2012, will likely increase the value of Thai chicken exports to the 27-member European Union (EU) by some 10 billion baht. Chaweewan Khampha, President of the Poultry Promotion Association of Thailand, said Monday that the EU decision is good news, as it should help convince other overseas markets which take serious actions on food safety, including Japan, to resume their imports of fresh chicken from Thailand and it should also raise the value of Thai chicken exports from 60 billion baht to 70 billion baht in the future. Chaweewan suggested, however, that Thai chicken exporters be careful in keeping their goods free of residues, contamination and the avian influenza, cautioning if the problem happened, concerned EU authorities would take a long time to restore imports of Thai chicken. The EU has so far banned imports of frozen fresh chicken from Thailand for as long as eight years, prompting Thai exporters to have, in the meantime, turned to sell cooked chicken instead and the solution has helped boost the value of Thai chicken exports. (TNA)