Poor sanitary standards of rising illegal beef imports have prompted fears that more consumers could be risking their health, the Department of Livestock Development says.

In some cases, beef containers from countries that don't have health safety permits to export to Thailand have been seized from fishing boat freezers.

The department said Thais consume only 2kg of beef per person per year while Americans eat 30kg a year. But the amount of confiscated illegal beef products in Thailand has increased alarmingly since 2013.

The figures show four cases with 9,676kg of illegal products confiscated in 2013; followed by one with 6,000kg in 2014; and 51 cases involving 685,895kg of beef last year. In the first quarter of this year alone, there were 64 cases with 275,987kg confiscated.

In total, 977,558kg of beef worth around 94 million baht was seized.

Department chief Ayuth Harintharanon said Thais consume about 150 million kilogrammes of beef and cow organ parts a year. Half of the meat is legally imported from Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and the United States; the rest is local production.

Import permits are granted to those countries which are able to issue health certificates to guarantee their beef products are safe to eat and free from disease, according to the department. Permits have not yet been granted to products imported from India, Africa and South America.

Mr Ayuth said the increasing demand for cheaper beef has encouraged illegal beef imports through the southern provinces, the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.

"Our concern is those beef products are low in quality, which might cause food safety problems for customers," he said.

The channels for smuggling are various. Beef is sometimes found in the freezers of fishing boats, and trucked from various entry points.

The department has been working with the Department of Customs and a military team to tackle the problem. Last year, the Customs Department confiscated illegal beef livestock at Laem Chabang port in Chon Buri province and private ports in Bangkok.

It has also tightened a livestock checkpoint in Prachuap Khiri Khan province to prevent beef smuggling from the South, and is monitoring freezer storage units owned by private companies.

A special task force has been set up to carefully check the borders to prevent illegal smuggling activities, including monitoring influential groups that might be involved with the business.

A source from the Department of Customs' Investigation and Suppression Bureau said it is impossible to check all cargo so the department collects information from reliable informants and looks into the cargo of blacklisted shipping companies.

But the blacklisted companies frequently change their names to avoid checks, he said.

"We need to make random checks. The country of origin mentioned in the import document can be falsified at the transit country. It could be changed from India to other countries that have been granted import permits to Thailand," he said.

Beef from India could legally pass Thai customs procedures to countries such as Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, said the source, saying the department cannot ban the beef from being shipped via Thailand.

However, these products can later be diverted into the country along the borders to local markets, the source added.

Meanwhile, Soonthorn Nicomrut, chairman of the Beef Cattle Association of Thailand, said illegal beef from India has destroyed the domestic beef industry thanks to poor sanitation standards. Foot and mouth disease from the beef could be spreading to the cattle farms.

Mr Soonthorn said some officials are also receiving bribes.

The Thai Research Fund said more than 200,000 baht has been paid to some officials to smooth the way for illegal beef products to enter local markets.

Source:
courtesy of BANGKOK POST

by Apinya Wipatayotin

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