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 looking at the latest in Thailand.

4 April 2007

3 minute read

North America

Thailand Poultry and Products Update

Thai broiler production is expected to be flat in 2007. High stocks at the end of 2006 created an oversupply situation for the Thai broiler industry in the first few months of 2007. It has also caused lower prices for day-old chicks and live broilers. Due to the current situation broiler processors are reducing weekly production from 18-19 million birds per week to about 16-17 million. A bounce back in production is expected in late 2007 back to about 18-20 million birds per week.

Along with the oversupply situation, which caused lower chick and broiler prices, the price for corn is skyrocketing and causing more losses.

Domestic chicken meat consumption in Thailand is expected to increase in 2007. Reasons for the increase include improved consumer confidence in the safety of cooked chicken and competitive prices for chicken meat.

Thai exports of broiler meat are expected to rise in 2007 by 7% over 2006 levels to a total of about 280,000 pounds. Japan and Europe will be major importers of Thai chicken meat. The EU recently passed new tariff quotas for chicken meat imported from major suppliers like Thailand and Brazil that will increase the amount of product Europe will get from these countries.

Thailand has had problems with AI periodically since 2004. Thailand’s government offices and integrated broiler processors do claim that even though they have had outbreaks of the H5N1 type of AI the disease has not affected any broiler farms. AI vaccines are prohibited in Thailand but the country does have stringent biosafety surveillance and controls that have prevented the disease form reaching their broiler farms. The Thai Ministry of Agriculture has recently cited that AI vaccinations may be implemented as a backup measure to help control large outbreaks of AI that may occur in the future. Thailand is also working with Vietnam to design better ways to prevent and control AI outbreaks within their counties. The plan is expected to improve the AI situation in both countries tremendously. The latest outbreak of AI in Thailand occurred on March 20, 2007 in domestic chickens raised on a farm in Mukdahan. The entire flock was culled to prevent spread of the disease.

Source: FAS/Other News Sources