International Egg and Poultry Review - By the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service - This is a weekly report looking at international developments concerning the poultry industry, this week covering poultry production in Thailand.

Thailand

Thai poultry exports were strong this year due to many reasons. Japan banned poultry from China after an outbreak of avian influenza. The outbreak of SARS in China discouraged travel to China. The outbreak of avian influenza in the Netherlands and Belgium, combined with a strong Euro, led to higher prices on exports of chicken meat to the EU.

The EU lifted strict testing measures imposed in March, 2002, after nitrofurans were found in Thai food products. In June the EU found nitrofurans in Brazilian chicken, decreasing the competitiveness of Brazilian exports. The war in Iraq disrupted shipping in the area and transit times from Brazil to Japan increased to more than two and a half months, compared to the normal of one month. Shipments from Thailand take seven days to reach Japan.

Japan switched their forward buying from China to Thailand and Brazil. Most Thai packers reportedly have shipments to Japan fully booked through the end of the year. Export prices to Japan, Thailand’s largest chicken market, rose 140 percent to $3,000 per metric ton while prices to the EU were up 41 percent to $2,400.

Further information

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Source: USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service - 9th September 2003.