Pork industry urges upgrades

THAILAND - Chachoengsao _ Bringing in foreign partners and promoting healthy meat are part of a new strategy by Thai pork producers to upgrade the business, improve poor sanitation and reach export markets.
calendar icon 15 October 2007
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Bangkla slaughterhouse believes that promotions and better standards will help the market.

The industry aims to air a TV commercial for the first time to inform people about checking for meat quality, according to Suphat Sritanatorn, senior vice-president for marketing of Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc (CPF).

"We surprised Thai consumers by airing commercials to promote eggs and chicken several years ago. Why not advertise pork?" said Mr Suphat.

He added that the pork commercials would air early next year as part of the marketing plans for CPF, the food flagship of the CP Group, one of the country's largest conglomerates.

The company's move marks a milestone for the Thai pork industry.

Thai pork producers are notorious for poor sanitation and animal rights. The supervision of slaughterhouses was transferred to the Livestock Department of the Agriculture Ministry only five years ago.

Prior to that, they were monitored by the Interior Ministry.

"More than 80% of the pork we consume today is still produced by substandard processes, poor sanitation and without animal welfare methods," said Narai Chimni, vice-president of Bangkok Food Products Co, a unit of CPF.

Source: BangkokPost
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