Thailand resumes chicken export to RoK after 12-year suspension

Illustrative image (Source: Phnom Penh Post)

Bangkok (VNA) – The Republic of Korea (RoK) has recently decided to resume import of Thailand’s chicken after a 12–year pause due to the avian influenza outbreak in 2004, Thailand’s media report.

As many as 12 factories processing raw chicken have recently been licensed to supply meat to the RoK’s market. 

The first batch of chicken was shipped to the RoK on November 17

A working group of the RoK will visit the Southeast Asian country in early 2017 to inspect standards of 18 chicken processing units for possible certification.

The RoK’s decision of market re-opening would also benefit 41factories providing processed chicken, and the operators need to send data on their facilities to the RoK to support a request for certification.

The approval was made following a visit of seven officials of the RoK’s Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency to 12 Thai factories in September 2016.

It is the result of efforts of Thailand officials to remove the ban on chicken over the past 12 years.

Thailand used to export 30,000-40,000 tonnes of frozen chicken to the RoK, worth 3 billion THB per year (84.6 million USD)./.