1. Asian Insti
itute of Technolo
T
ogy
Im
mpacts of Foo Saf
od fety St
tandar
rds
On
Processed an
P
nimal based expor
b
rt
“F ed in Pro d chicke indus T
Focuse
ocessed
en stries Thailand”
d
by
Atc
charapo
orn Khoomt
K
tong
1

2. Content
Issues
Page
Introduction
3
General overview about Food Safety Standards
5
Overview about Food Safety Standards in Thailand
7
General Food safety concern in the poultry product
9
Present Situation of food safety in the export poultry industry of Thailand
13
Flooding situation in Thailand Effect to poultry industry?
18
Benefit from Achieving Food safety standards Certification in Thailand
20
Constraints in the implementation Food Safety Standards
in case of SMEs Food industries Thailand
21
Recommendations
22
Conclusion
24
Reference
25
2

3. Introduction
The current financial crisis impacts greatly on the world economy. The decline
of trade and the rise of unemployment are the results of the deflating business sector.
In order to avoid worsening the world economy, affected countries should stimulate
their domestic market by injecting money into the system. In addition, every country
must also abandon any protectionist measures that will further depress the world
economy. For Thailand, the current financial situation is not as worse as in the United
States, Europe and many other countries because of the foreign reserve amounting to
about 130,000 million US dollar. This makes the current financial crisis in Thailand
differ from the financial crisis in 1997 where the Thai baht was greatly devalued,
whereby 1 US dollar is equal to 49-52 baht. Thailand thus has a competitive advantage
in the world market with the U.S., Europe, and other regions importing products from
Thailand at the cheaper price. This completely differs from the current situation where
the global economy is regressing and the demand in decline; consequently, the export
of Thailand is inevitably affected with the value of Thai baht at 34-35 baht per 1 US
dollar. Exporting as a remedy to the crisis is not viable.
However Thailand remains is one of the richest agricultural Produce Country
in the world, located in the most fertile land on tropical area of Southeast Asia.
Agricultural Technologies being the full drive Thailand to be only few nations who
produce food commodities feeding the hungry world. The Country also nourishing
with qualified food science and technologist, research activities, product development
manufacturing technologies, whereby make the food industry in Thailand grows
larger every year in value and in importance. At present, with some 80 -90 percent of
ingredients of domestic origin, there are more than 8,250 factories producing food and
more than 2,000 food exporters earning around US$1 billion in foreign exchange.
Thailand is gaining recognition as the “Kitchen to the World”, not only because of
the popularity of its uniquely flavorful and wholesome cuisine, but also because of the
high standards of food manufacturing and the wide variety of food products offered.
According to the Department of Trade Negotiations and Food Institute statistics,
income from agricultural products has been among the top -10 ranking income
generators in the world that could show the table 1.
The primary export markets are Japan, the US, EU, and ASEAN. Most food
exports are prepared and ready-to-eat. The major categories are:

Seafood is the largest single category and includes canned, chilled and frozen,
dried, and prepared products. Thailand is a leading exporter of fresh – frozen and
processed white and tiger shrimp (prawns). Even though the fresh – frozen shrimp
world market is highly competitive, Thai shrimp is recognized for its high quality
and strict hygiene. The major markets are the US, Japan, Canada, and Australia.
Canned tuna is another significant component of Thailand’s seafood exports. Even
thought all the fresh tuna is imported, Thai producers maintain a competitive
advantage through cost - effective technology. Other seafood products enjoying
significant export growth are canned calamari, canned crab, and prepared fish.
The major export markets are the US, Japan, Australia, Canada, and the EU.
3

4. Table 1 Exports of Major Thai Food products (Export Value)
Export Items
2007
Export value (million Dollars)
2010
2008
2009
(Jan-July)
2011
(Jan-July)
Livestock
Chicken and poultry
295.6
279.4
272.6
151.5
177.0
Fishery
3,905.6
3,718.3
4,119.4
2,218.4
2,704.7
1,421.0
826.1
632.5
788.7
437.5
596.5
1,803.4
261.8
340.9
452.5
708.8
9,708.3
2,152.4
343.4
410.5
610.2
809.9
11,237.9
1,847.5
185.3
226.5
347.7
460.2
6,879.4
2,576.4
277.3
274.0
481.5
524.8
8,900.4
Shrimp ,Canned / processed
tuna, Chilled / frozen fish,
Squid, Other canned /
processed fish
Vegetable and fruit
1,362.1
1,223.1
1,081.4
Canned / processed fruit,
Vegetable products,
Fresh / dried fruit,
Vegetable / fruit juice
Rice
Cassava products,
Flour and starch,
Rice products,
Cassava flour and starch
Sugar
Palm oil
Seasonings
Non-alcoholic beverage
Pet food, Animal feed
Total
657.0
1,449.9
656.0
298.5
429.5
719.8
10,068.4
Source: Department of Trade Negotiations and Food Institute

Fresh and processed fruit and vegetables account for the second largest portion
of Thailand’s food exports and divides into two general groups:
Fruit
: fresh, chilled, frozen, and dried. The largest fruit export is lagan,
mangos teens, lynchee, rambutan.
Vegetables: the largest export is asparagus, large onions, okra, and baby corn.
The main markets are Japan, china, Hong Kong, the UK, and the US.

Canned and other processed forms are the second major group of fruit and
vegetable exports. Canned pineapple and pineapple juice are the main products in
this category, followed by canned sweet and baby corn. The major markets are the
US, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, and the UK.
4

5. 
Fresh - Fro
ozen and Pr
rocessed ch
hicken
is
Nowadays, The Chine market i growing at 60 perce per annu with fro
ese
ent
num
ozen
and proces
ssed animal products a
l
accounting for the largest propor
rtion, inclu
uding
fresh - froz and pro
zen
ocessed chic
cken. Thailand produces no fewe than 1 billion
er
chickens pe year, or about 1 mi
er
illion tons of chicken meat. The avian flu crisis
o
c
caused the volume of fresh chic
f
cken to fall off drastic
cally, while the volum of
e
me
processed c
chicken inc
creased wit the recog
th
gnition that Thailand maintains high
t
production and proces
ssing standa
ards. The major marke are Japa the UK, the
m
ets
an,
Netherland and Germ
ds,
many that co
ould show the Figure 1 below:
tnam, 2.71%
Veit
3%
Other, 11.03
Germany,
4.04% rland,
Nethe
4%
9.14
Japa 43.27%
an,
U 29.81%
UK,
F
Figure 1 Th major ma
he
arkets of fre - frozen and processed chicken of Thailan
esh
n
nd

Other goo
ods include rice and wheat pr
e
d
roducts, re
eady-to-eat foods, spices,
flavorings, soups, veg
getable and animal fat and oils, etc. Bever
ts
rages, inclu
uding
ater, soda water, healt drinks, whisky, wi , beer, milk and milk
w
th
ine
m
mineral wa
products, su as cream butter, an yogurt.
uch
m,
nd
General overview about Food Safety St
l
d
tandards
Food S
Safety Stan
ndards can be conside
ered to have three mai compone
ain
ents:
qua
ality contr
rol, quality assuran
y
nce and quality imp
q
provement Food sa
t.
afety
man
nagement is focused no only on p
s
ot
product qua
ality, but als the mean to achiev it.
so
ns
ve
Foo safety ma
od
anagement therefore us quality assurance and control of processe as
ses
a
es
well as product to achieve more cons
ts
sistent quality.
Food Sa
afety Stand
dards are a t
tool to achie mainta and impr
eve,
ain
rove the qu
uality
results. In this case a result is food prod
ducts which come ou of produ
ut
ucing
of r
proc
cesses. The system co
e
onsists of th organiza
he
ation, responsibilities, documentation,
proc
cesses and r
resources to achieve, su
o
ustain and improve qua
i
ality of prod
ducts. There are
e
man food safe standard that relate the food industry.
ny
ety
ds
ed
Consum want th assuranc that they are receivin a safe an sanitary food
mers
he
ce
ng
nd
supp See Fig
ply.
gure 2 for a schematic representa
c
ation of the communica
ation within the
n
food chain. Fo quality is an impo
d
ood
ortant conce because the foods people choose
ept,
e
s
depend largely on quality. Consumer preference is importan to the foo manufacture,
r
nt
od
who wants to g as wide a share of the market for the prod as poss
o
gain
e
f
duct
sible. Quali is
ity
diff
ficult to def
fine exactly but it deg
y,
gree of exce
ellence of a food and i
includes all the
l
char
racteristics of a food th are sign
hat
nificant, and that make the food ac
d
cceptable. Food
F
quality must b monitore on a reg
be
ed
gular day-to
o-day basis to ensure that a unif
form
prod is prod
duct
duced and th meets th required quality cont standard
hat
he
q
trol
rds.
5

6. Statutory and Regulatory authorities
Crop products
Production of pesticides, fertilizers,
and veterinary drugs
Feeds products
Food chain for the production of
ingredient and additives
Transport and storage operators
Primary food producers
Producers of equipment
Food producers
Producers of cleaning and sanitizing
agents
2 nd food processor
Producers of packaging materials
Wholesalers
Service providers
Retailers, Food service
operators/caterers
Consumers
Figure 2 A schematic representation of the communication within the food chain
Assurance of food safety is a combined effort. Food producers at all levels of
production convey a responsibility for the production of safe foods. At the farm level,
farmers and workers must control pesticide and other chemical inputs and recognize
potential sources of microbial contaminants from water, soil, animals and humans.
The food processing and transportation industries must evaluate where food safety
may be risk at critical points in food production and transport and take appropriate
measures to control these potential hazards. Retail establishments, restaurants and
other food vendors must also understand how to ensure proper sanitary practices and
temperature controls.
Government regulatory systems can provide a framework for maintenance of
food safety across the food scale "from farm to table". Food safety laws, regulations,
directives, standards, policies and procedures form a foundation for food control
systems. Regulatory requirements establish limits and responsibilities, but are of little
value without effective enforcement. Infrastructure and resources for strategic
enforcement interventions, customized to work within a particular country's legal
environment and culture is very important, even when resource constraints are severe.
International organizations, whether government-based or private sector,
have clear roles and strengths in promotion food safety. These roles may be presented
in setting international science-based standards, providing scientific fora to leverage
knowledge in addressing serious and complex food safety issues, or assisting
countries that need help in establishing and managing their own food safety control
systems.
6

7. Overview about Food Safety Standards in Thailand
Nowadays, food industry manufacturers are facing with not only an increasing
extremely competition from competitors both local and the global market, but also
tougher demands in terms of environmental, quality and food safety regulatory issues
for local and export products. Therefore, manufacturers have to get ready to handle
with any arise more demanding challenges from government and public sectors as
well as the market mechanism driven consumers.
While the trend for Thai food exports is ongoing growth, Thai manufacturers
and exporters need to track market conditions and consumer behavior closely to
identify products that have export to identify products that have export potential and
where growth is mostly likely. Nowadays, Thailand has given rise to different systems
of food distribution, legislation, quality standards and difference in consumer appeal.
Apart from the effects on changing in business nature and the increasing demand, the
agreement under World Trade Organization (WTO) has created significantly new
opportunities for international trade, most notably the reduction in tariffs. The forces
such as competition, changing customers, product complexity, have resulted in
requiring new approach if food industries are to remain in competitive world markets.
For example, more consumer health awareness is increasing the demand for organic
and general health foods, especially in Japan and the EU. Halal food is another
example of an immense export opportunity, since Thailand has a substantial Muslim
population and the number of Muslims around the globe is some 1.5 billion in 25
countries.
The Thai government gives the highest priority to meeting international food
safety standards so that consumers have confidence in the safety of Thai food exports.
Food safety standards certifications currently implemented in food industry in
Thailand are GMP, HACCP, ISO 9000, ISO 22000, and ISO 14000.While
development of GMP and HACCP food safety management systems in food factories
for export depend upon the laws and regulations of the importing countries pressure
from customer requirements, especially from European countries has a significant
effect on the implementation of ISO 9000, ISO 14000. Thai Industrial Standard
Institute (TISI) under the Ministry of Industry is the central organization for
implementation of ISO standards such as ISO 9000, ISO14000. As mentioned earlier,
food companies which export products to the European countries seek ISO 9000 and
ISO 14000 certification. Since ISO standards are not mandatory, only few food
companies have implemented ISO 9000 and ISO 14000.
Food safety management system i.e., GMP&HACCP system is nowadays a
big issue in Thailand. The Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and
Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) of WTO, which refers the Codex standard of
FAO/WHO, has greatly influenced regulations in many countries including Thailand.
Approval of the Guidelines on the Application of HACCP to be the Annexure of the
General Principles of Food Hygiene; CAC/RCP1-2003, Rev.4 by Codex Alimentarius
Commission further pressured various countries to promote HACCP system among
their food producers with the concept of introducing food safety From Farm to
Table through laws and regulations.
7

8. Japan is the largest importer of Thai food products importing almost all types
of products including seafood, meat products, vegetable and fruit. The government of
Japan requires the use of HACCP system, which was introduced in the Food
Sanitation Law amended in May 24, 1996, only on a voluntary basis. However,
Japanese consumers are exceptionally concerned with food safety. This consequently
forced many Japanese retailers to accept food products only from manufacturers with
HACCP or equivalent system certified. In order to develop food safety systems both
for domestic and export establishments, Ministry of Public Health is chosen as the
principal regulatory organization with the Department of Health and the Food and
Drug Administration (Thai FDA) as the supporting departments in charge of the food
service sector and food industry respectively.
The primary role of the Department of Health is to develop and upgrade
sanitary conditions in food services. It is also responsible for keeping consumers well
informed about the risks and hazards associated with unsanitary and unsafe food
consumption and promoting food sanitation information, knowledge and technology.
On the other hand, the main tasks of the Thai FDA are to control and monitor the
safety of food products manufactured in Thailand as specified in the Food Act of B.E.
2522. The Thai FDA also has the responsibility to ensure that the development of
such control measures corresponds with international standards, so that Thailand
would be recognized internationally as a safe and competitive food market. The
regulations laid down would have to be consistent with the Agreement on the
Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) of the World Trade
Organization (WTO), which recognizes the international standards work of Codex
(standard of FAO/WHO). Therefore, in 1985, the GMP standard was issued on a
voluntary basis and was subsequently made mandatory from July 24, 2001. New
domestic and export food plants seeking registration would have to comply with the
GMP regulation. The HACCP standard, which is voluntary, directly refers the Codex
standard and has been translated into Thai by the TISI. Because of the country’s
export-oriented policy and the large number of food processing plants, the Ministry of
Public Health’s duty as the principal regulatory agency has become increasingly
On the other hands, other government organization that related food safety
standards in Thailand is The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has therefore
agreed to elaborate a Thai Agricultural Commodity and Food Standard on “Safety
Requirements for Agricultural Commodity and Food.” This standard indicates
safety criteria and limits that contribute to the inspection and certification schemes on
the safety of agricultural commodities and food. This standard covers three groups of
agricultural commodities and food, including their products, namely, plant, livestock,
and fish. The establishment of this standard is based on international standards and
guidelines recommended by international organizations which are the Joint
FAO/WHO Food Standards Program (Codex), International Plant Protection
Convention (IPPC), and Office International des Epizootic (OIE). Additionally, the
contents in the standard are also in accordance with scientific-based information, and
importing countries’ standards and regulations. Mainly department of this Ministry
that is responsible commodities product are Department of Fisheries, Department of
Livestock Development and also Department of Agriculture.
8

9. General Food safety concern in the poultry product
Access to a nutritionally adequate and safe food supply has long been regarded
as a basic human right. Among the foods capable of meeting such a need, poultry
products, including eggs, have a highly important part to play throughout the world.
In developed countries, consumption of poultry meat has continued to rise, as
consumers recognize the nutritious, low-fat attributes of the meat itself and the wide
range of value-added products now available that provide choice, convenience and
flexibility in meal preparation. Also, the technical efficiency and economies of scale
in commercial production and processing of poultry have helped to ensure that
product prices remain competitive in the marketplace. Despite the obvious benefits to
consumers, poultry products are not exempt from certain public health concerns that
continue to affect the food supply chain as a whole and foods of animal origin in
particular. These are due to the possible presence of specific disease agents, whether
biological or chemical, that can have a wide range of consequences for human health.
The situation is often increase by the adverse information that such problems attract.
No more than a week goes by without some kind of food `scare' being reported in the
press, and poultry products have had more than their fair share of attention in this
respect.
More recent examples from around the world include Salmonella in chicken
meat, dioxin contamination of chicken meat and Listeria in ready-to-eat poultry
products. Certain, these issues raise questions about the adequacy of present controls
and result in political pressure to take any corrective action that is perceived to be
necessary. The bad publicity can have a devastating effect on the industry, since
consumers simply stop buying the suspect product. The power of the consumer is also
evident in the way that retailers respond to consumer concerns as a means of
positioning themselves against their competitors. In the major poultry-producing
countries, production systems tend to be highly integrated, which means that a single
company may carry out the whole scale of relevant activities, from hatching of chicks,
through feed production and rearing of breeders and broilers, to carcass processing
and product manufacture. Therefore, food safety control is promoted at all stages of
the supply chain, but how is it best achieved? Over the years, a substantial body of
knowledge has accumulated on the health hazards associated with poultry products
and their control. This has involved developments in a variety of fields, including
food science and technology, veterinary science, animal husbandry, microbiology.
However, making best use of the available knowledge requires a continuing input
from individuals such public health officials, legislators and technical personnel in
industry.
Among the major concerns are health issues threatening not only animal
production, but also the people using the products derived from the chickens. Safety is
an important poultry product quality issue. Food safety risks associated with poultry
include microbiological risks, such as Salmonella spp, Campylobacter spp, Listeria
and E.coli are the pathogens most commonly causing food-related illnesses in
humans. As far as viruses are concerned, the significance of avian influenza should
not be overlooked. Furthermore, chemical risks, such as pesticide residues from feed
production, and resistance problems following the use of antibiotics in animal
production have become the focus of attention. Risk assessment data for most
poultry-borne hazards are lacking, however, these types of data are essential in
9

10. developing food safety strategies. There is a need to evaluate poultry production,
processing, handling, and preparation procedures to determine their impact on the risk
of food borne illness. Fully understanding the hazards associated with poultry
consumption is key to developing effective sampling, detection, and identification
methods, that in turn can be utilized to design control strategies.
The different steps of the food production system need specific regulations.
However, food-safety interventions should optimally be considered as a whole i.e.
should be coordinated through the whole vertical system (see Figure 3). The chain
from “farm to fork” starts with feed production, and continues through the hatcheries
to the slaughterhouses, processing plants, wholesalers, retailers and the end consumer.
Between these steps there is transport and storage, during which maintaining the coldchain is crucial. The hygienic behavior of the end consumer, such as washing hands
and kitchen utilities after handling raw poultry meat or eggs, is the final factor in
avoiding the food-borne illnesses related to poultry products.
Many international organizations concerns about the alternative to eliminate
and also prevent any hazards such as microbiological hazards. For example, WHO
formulated a three-step approach to explanatory the risk posed by Salmonella spp.
(WHO, 1980); the terms used are also relevant for other microbiological hazards. The
first step is pre-harvest control, which focuses on the feed and poultry producers. The
second step is harvesting control, which covers hygiene measures at the time of
slaughter; these are described in the Codex HACCP model. The third step is postharvest control, which covers the product from the processing establishment all the
way to the end-consumer. Each of these three stages has to be taken into consideration
in order to prevent risk factors entering the chain.
The first step, pre-harvest control, is the most important means to prevent
infection with pathogens such as Salmonella, as traditional control systems are unable
to control for these pathogens later in the chain. Singer et al. (2007) describe three
reasons why it is important to process only healthy animals – thus emphasizing the
importance of pre-harvest measures. First, a sick animal will shed pathogens into the
surroundings and onto other animals; second, processing a sick animal may require
additional handling in order to separate the infected parts from the carcass, which may
add to the risk of cross-contamination; and third, certain illnesses lead to pathological
changes in the carcass which may cause increased vulnerability of specific organs.
Poultry producers have an important role in preventing risk factors from
entering the food chain. In the developed world this role has become more or less
clear to the farmers as a result of official regulations and increased hygiene demands
originating from consumers and retailers. The enforcement of these regulations is
done through control visits by governmental authorities to production establishments,
and by continuous control on the part of the establishments themselves. An efficient
traceability system linking the food product to the farm has enabled efficient and
rapid intervention measures in the event of an outbreak of a food-borne disease. It has
been shown that improvements made to the health of production animals have
positive effects on the safety of animal-derived food products for humans. Singer et
al. (2007) showed that there is a strong correlation between the health of production
animals and level of food-related human illnesses. Veterinary services are also
important. The non-regulated use of antibiotics as veterinary treatment might be a link
10

11. to the appearance of resistant strains of pathogens posing a threat also to human
health. The antibiotics used for veterinary treatment can in some cases overlap with
crucial ones used to treat human illnesses.
Slaughterhouses and food-processing establishments are the next links in the
chain of food safety. The post-slaughter poultry carcass is a suitable growing medium
for many pathogens, including human pathogens. Hygiene procedures when handling
the carcass are, therefore, essential and should be carefully planned and monitored to
avoid contamination and cross-contamination of the food products. Packaging,
transport, shelf-life and storage, as well as the maintenance of the cold-chain are
important considerations. The cleaning and disinfecting of the premises and transport
vehicles involved in these processes should be controlled. Resistance issues should be
considered in the choice of the products used. Food products are then transported to
wholesalers, retailers and finally to the consumers. Consumer information and
education is important, especially in developing countries where hygiene standards
are poor.
It is quite difficult to define a best model for food-safety practices applicable
to the developing world as a whole. More country-specific data on risk factors
throughout the vertical chain are needed. The political environment, the state of
infrastructure and so forward should also be carefully assessed before policies are
formulated. Surveillance and data collection systems are often lacking or not
functional, meaning that reliable data about risk factors are unavailable. Establishing
food safety services may require considerable education of veterinary and the health
inspectors at all levels. A market-driven approach could be a way to achieve success
in food safety, but this would need interest and large investments from the industry.
There would definitely be difficulties in implementing a thorough control system,
because of the existence of the immense informal sector in which animals are not
slaughtered in the abattoirs but at the markets.
To improve food safety in poultry production in developing countries should
start at the local union or village level with simple regulations directed towards
addressing the most outstanding deficiencies in the food-safety system. Clearly, this
would, again, require identification of the major risks and their entry points into the
food chain. Village-level education campaigns, directed at community workers such
as teachers, and thus reaching the consumers, as well as at restaurants, would be
essential. Investment in basic education, and thus increasing consumer awareness,
should be seen as a key element of food safety strategies in developing countries.
All food safety systems have their own constraints, but what must be done is
to find ways to work effectively within these constraints and move aggressively to
remove those constraints that limit a government’s ability to protect the public’s
health. When it comes to food safety, there is not one single solution; instead, there
should be a series of reasonable approaches formulated to address the different
situations in different countries. It is also important that these efforts be undertaken in
a cooperative manner, to improve the food safety system.
11

12. BREEDING STOCKS
Feed
Production:
 Pesticides
 Environmental
contamination
Processing:
 Heat handling
 Gamma irradiation
Storage:
 Pathogens
 Toxins
 Pests (insects, rodents etc.)
 Antibiotic growth
promoters
 Other additives



Hatcheries
Vertical transmission
Disinfection
Environment
Production
 Flies
 Rodents
 Storage of feed
 Water
Veterinary services:
 Vaccination
 Treatment (antibiotics)
 Disinfection of the house
 Workers
 Machinery
 Waste management

Litter
 Trucks, crates, environment






Processing
Workers
Cross-contamination
Waste management
Disinfection
Water
Surfaces



Market
Storage
Cold chain
Labelling


End-Consumer
Kitchen hygiene
Personal hygiene
Identification and
Tracing system
Figure 3 The vertical chain of poultry food-products and examples of possible hazard points
12

13. Present Situation of food safety in the export poultry industry of Thailand
The poultry sector has been widely acknowledged as the greatest agribusiness
success story in Thailand. After an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza
(HPAI) in Thailand in 2004 severely reduced frozen poultry cuts exports and led to
stricter regulations on imported Thai poultry meat that was shown the Thailand export
value of poultry in Figure 4. Some countries currently only accept prepared (cooked)
Thai poultry imports. Since 2004, broiler meat exports have started to raise, despite a
few trade barriers. In 2005, poultry was estimated to comprise 52% of total meat
production in Thailand (Naranong, 2007). The sector has transformed itself over the
past four decades from near universal backyard farming into a leading exporter.
Today Thailand has one of the most advanced broiler production sectors, with levels
of efficiency and overall performance equal or exceeding that of most countries. In
turn, production and consumption of poultry have greatly increased over the past few
decades.
Figure 4 Thailand export value of poultry
Source: The Ministry of Commerce.
Poultry production in Thailand can be classified into three primary systems;
large-scale industrial production, semi-industrial production, and smallholder
backyard farming. Industrial production normally consists of vertically integrated
companies controlling every stage of production from breeding hens to marketing
processed chicken. The growing stage has often been contracted out to medium and
large farms, while remaining production stages are controlled by the integrating firm.
Firms also raise broilers on company farms. Industrial poultry products are both
exported and sold domestically. Semi-industrial farms are small or medium size farms
that raise poultry for commercial purposes but are not independent from other levels
of the production system. Semi industrial farms tend to be characterized by medium
intensive inputs and marketing. Smallholder backyard farms are characterized by low
inputs and generally raise poultry for non-commercial reasons (i.e., consumption) but
may receive an important source of supplemental income from selling surpluses to
local markets.
13

14. Thai Chicken Export and Producer Association incorporated with the
Department of Livestock Development forced the member companies, which produce
chicken products and feed to implement GMP, HACCP and ISO 9000. Moreover, the
Department of Livestock Development has implemented the Code of Practice related
to antibiotics, which can be used in feed for raising chicken as mandatory from
1 November, 1999. This code of practice enables the control of drug residues in
chicken products which facilitate the implementation of HACCP system in the
factories producing chicken products. On the other hand, commercial poultry
production this decade has largely been created by producers reacting to quality
control issues. Early in 1999 the European Union (EU) detected Nitro-furans (a
banned group of antibiotics) and Dioxin in some broiler imports from Thailand. This
finding, in addition to new animal welfare standards in the EU, brought about a set of
export restrictions that led many firms to exert more control over production in order
to ensure quality standards. To comply with the EU white paper, the Department of
Livestock Development has also issued a regulation regarding the standard of farms
for chicken rearing in 1999. Also farms for chicken rearing therefore issued
registration in the year 2000 already. In addition, the department of Livestock
Development has provided manuals regarding animal welfare for farms,
transportation and slaughterhouse. By the way, schematic representations Regulation
Standard issued by Department of Livestock Development was shown in Figure 5
Nowadays, there are about 3,510 poultry industries (i.e. feed mill industries,
Slaughter included Further processing or Processed Meat industries NOT INCLUDED
hatchery farm) in Thailand and only 111 factories (included between feed mill
industries and Slaughter included processing industry) have adopted HACCP standards,
only 164 factories have adopted GMP standards and 801 factories have slaughter
standards from Ministry of Interior that very inadequate portion from perspective that
could show the table 2 below:
Table 2 Number of HACCP/GMP-certified Factories in each Poultry Industry
Sector
Feed mill industry
535
Number of GMP
/HACCP certified
factories
GMP 34*
HACCP 19*
Slaughter included processing industry
130
GMP 130*
HACCP 92*
Domestic Slaughterhouses
2845
801**
Number of
factories
Categories
Source: Department of Livestock Development: DLD, (Updated December, 2010)
Note * mean certify by Department of Livestock
** mean certify by Ministry of Interior
14

15. System Certification
Down Stream Industry
Middle Stream
Industry
Up Stream Industry
Laws,Regulatories,Standards
Animal Feed Quality
Control Act B.E.2525
(AD 1992)
Feed Raw material
Supplier
Animal Feed Quality
Control Act B.E.2525
(AD 1992)
Feed Mill industry
Export Market
Basic breeding
Hatching egg production
Hatching
GAP Certified
Slaughter house &
Slaughter industry
GMP Certified
Animal Epidemic Act
B.E.2499 (AD 1956)
Food Act B.E.2522
(AD 1979)
Animal Slaughter and
Sale of Meat Control Act
B.E.2535 (AD1992)
Industrial Products
Standard Act B.E.2511
(AD1968)
Food Act B.E.2522
(AD 1979)
Further processing or
Processed Meat industry
Quality Analysis
Feed Mill
GMP Certified
HACCP Certified*
Wholesaling /
Domestic Market
Export Market
Figure 5 Schematic representations Regulation Standard issued by
Department of Livestock Development
Note * mean forced only the exporters
15

16. However, nowadays hot issue of outbreak in poultry sector is Bird flu viruses
refer to avian influenza. This outbreak was happen long-term more than ten years ago.
Since January 2004, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries have experienced
outbreaks of H5N1 HPAI in poultry. Thailand was hit by four rounds of the outbreak
between 2004 and 2006 (Figure 6) and another small round in early 2007. Since the
first outbreak in January 2004, at least 25 people have caught the disease and 17
deaths have been reported (as of September 2007). Thailand rapidly applied control
measures, including the killing of as many as 63 million chickens in 2004.
Figure 6 The HPAI outbreaks in Thailand 2004 to 2006
Source: Department of Livestock Development.
After the first outbreak in Thailand caused by highly pathogenic avian
influenza virus (HPAIV) subtype H5N1, the Department of Livestock Development
(DLD) implemented a range of control measures, including culling (with
compensation), movement restriction, improvements in GMP hygiene and bioscurity,
and an active surveillance program (the “X-ray program”). The DLD has also
encouraged broiler chicken farmers to establish compartmentalized production
systems, where biosecurity and surveillance measures are implemented within both
the boundaries of the farm itself and within the surrounding 1 km area around the
farm (the ‘buffer zone’) to protect the health status of the farm’s chicken population.
The use of compartmentalization is not only a tool for prevention of HPAIV infection,
but also creates disease free areas, allowing a continuation of trade activities. A
qualitative risk assessment conducted as part of a larger project funded by the UK
Department for International Development (DFID) through the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations assessed the risk of introduction and transmission
of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) H5N1 into the 1-km buffer zones
surrounding compartmentalized poultry farms in Thailand.
16

17. The HPAI outbreaks have been the most important factor shaping
Thailand’s poultry sector in the past few years. The outbreaks have also hit
smallholders very hard, resulting in many leaving the industry altogether. However,
strong and devastating as it has been, HPAI is unlikely to determine the future of
Thailand’s poultry industry. This is because structural change is almost complete
and is unlikely to be reversible. The Thai broiler industry will continue to move
towards higher levels of industrialization and more vertical integration – most large
integrated firms will include food processing as a part of their operation. Further
industrialization and vertical integration will make it easier for the poultry industry
to comply with the foreign importers’ food safety and animal welfare requirements.
The trend towards further processing of poultry (cooked and semi-cooked
products) – now included as part of the operation of many integrated firms – may
increase employment in the poultry sector. However, additional employment in the
integrators’ farms will be very limited, as many are now fully automated. Moreover,
any new employment will be created at the expense of smallholders whose room to
operate as self-employed broiler farmers will be increasingly curtailed. As the sector
returns to “normal” business, its future will be shaped mainly by basic drivers, such as
feed supply and demand. Another significant trend may be that movement towards
replacing chemical protection (antibiotics, antiseptics, or even vaccination) with
biosecurity and compartmentalization will shift the industry further towards integrated
industrialization.
Remaining the other Food Safety Problems of poultry industries of
Thailand are meeting strict standards on veterinary drug residues and other
unintended contaminants (both levels and methodology requirements) and dispute
over factory and Lab result recognition a number of accredited Lab and factories
complained of not getting due recognition despite their ISO standard certification and
also Traceability requirement of some country tend to be more restrictive than
necessary. However, most of problems are closely tended to by Department of
Livestock Development (DLD); for example, DLD will be implementing the tools for
traceability in the livestock industry. The tool for managing and addressing the
compiling data related to the whole network of broiler industry (whole supply chain)
and also this tool is providing information on outbreak control. By the way, it is not
complete system but it will be benefit for poultry in the nearly future.
Moreover, Department of Livestock Development (DLD) also works and
cooperates with many International Food Safety Cooperation such as Cooperation
with WHO Center for Reference and Research on study about Influenza and avian flu,
Cooperation with WHO on Global Salmonella Surveillance Network, ASEAN Food
Safety Network and also Cooperation with various food importing countries on Food
Inspection to support information of food safety for poultry industries’ Thailand to
meet the requirement of global market
17

18. Flooding situation in Thailand Effect to poultry industry?
During the months of September and early October 2011, certain areas of
some provinces in north and central Thailand, such as Sing Buri, Lop Buri and
Kamphaeng Phet as well as a few coastal areas in southern Thailand, have been
affected by floods due to seasonal heavy rains. The floods are mainly affecting land in
low-lying agricultural areas and adjacent to major waterways such as the Chao Phraya
River. Occasional flash floods are occurring in some mountainous areas as a result of
runoff from the heavy rains. The flooding is resulting in the loss of lives,
displacement of vulnerable persons and the destruction of key infrastructure, food
stocks and livestock throughout the region. The floods coincided with the most
critical time of the year, the lean (minor) farming season when Thai farmers faced
food insecurity.
The current flooding is having minimal impact on poultry industry. Most of
poultry industry of Thailand is located in central area especially Lop Buri, a major
production base for poultry industries such as CP, Betagro and also Sahafarm.
Actually most livestock farms are located on hills because farmers have learned over
the decades to avoid [areas near] waterways. The Agriculture Ministry reports about
7 million head of livestock were affected by the current floods, a figure that includes
6.6 million chickens. But the volume is small when compared to the more than 20
million chickens the country produces each week.
The Head of the Livestock Office has encouraged poultry farmers to closely
watch the avian flu outbreaks during the current flooding situation as the changing
weather is catalyzing the deadly disease. The current flooding crisis in many
provinces might affect the ecology that could stimulate the spread of bird flu.
Therefore, fowl farmers are recommended to inform related officials, including
livestock development volunteers in their communities in case dead fowls are found,
in order to help prevent the disease’s outbreaks.
According to, Frederick A. et al (2010) created A Conceptual Framework:
General systems structure of the effects of floods on natural resource dependent
communities can be illustrated in a simplified structure such as in Figure 7. Being
essentially agricultural producers, the main consequence of flooding has been the
destruction of food crops on farms as well as seeds stores; eventually culminating in a
decline in food production. A decline in food production can lead to starvation.
Starvation together with a decline in environmental quality resulting from flood
related damage, fuels the desire for migrating out of these rural areas (see the
starvation loop in Figure 7). The reduction in food production resulting from floods
also means loss of income for many in these communities which further reduce their
ability to purchase food and thereby contributes to increasing the problem of food
shortages and starvation within households (agricultural income loop Figure 7). In
these communities, non-agricultural income opportunities are few.
Causal loop diagrams are used to show how variables that are interrelated
affect one another. They are also called cause-effect diagrams. Positive relationships
between variables (denoted with the sign “+”) indicate a change in the same direction
of the two variables while negative relationships (denoted with the sign “–”) indicate
18

19. a change in opposite directions. In a positive relationship, an increase in one factor
will lead to a corresponding increase in another factor and vice versa. In negative
relationships an increase in one factor will lead to a decrease in the other factor and
vice versa. Each of the loops or sub-systems in Figure 7 has been expanded. Another
important effect of flooding is the destruction of the environment leading to a
decrease in environmental quality.
Figure 7. A simplified causal loop diagram illustrating the impact of floods on communities.
From my point of view, floods may be affected to poultry industry in Thailand
such as,
Effect of flood on feed mill industry
Most of animal feeding operation of Thailand has been constructed in Lop
Buri, Saraburi province. The fecal waste pit and spray filed waste management
systems used by these operations are susceptible to flooding in this low laying
area.The potential that flood can lead to environmental dispersion of animal waste
containing numerous biologic and chemical hazards. It could be contaminate to feed
mill animals.
Effect of flood on sanitation and hygiene
Floodwater may contain fecal material from overflowing sewage system, and
agricultural and industrial by-products and also can be heavily contaminated with
pesticides to highly hazards chemicals. Although, it could be cross contamination
between water supply system and sewage system in hatchery farms that water
treatment system may go out of order or malfunction due to flood impacts and sewer
discharge may directly enter the watercourse without purification. Nevertheless,
Water-borne diseases, such as diarrhea diseases, acute respiratory infections and skin
infections, are common among flood-affected people and broilers. They can increase
to epidemic levels even in a moderate flood; particularly in rapidly expanding urban
areas with their often poor environmental conditions.
19

20. Effect of flood on food safety
During the flood, electricity supply may be cut off. Without electricity
hatchery farm activities will be stop because most of hatchery farms in Thailand were
used evaporation ventilation system so farmers could be migrate the broilers to
another area to safe the broilers from death. In case of factory such as slaughter
house or processed plants without electricity cold stores and refrigerators will stop
functioning. Normally, the meat poultry in these facilities will start decaying after 4
hours. On the other hand, the meat poultry stores may come into contact with
floodwater and thus meat being contaminated. Moreover, pest, i.e. rats may be
problem, during and after flood. The displaced rats, snakes and other animals may
contaminate food storage as they may be a source of rabies and poisonous. Other way,
if flood continue long time, it will be affected to transportation system that may be
cause of shortage food finally.
Benefit from Achieving Food safety standards Certification in Thailand
Food safety standards certification benefits may be measured as “external”
and “internal” benefits. External benefits are realized externally from the system such
as an increase in market share or gaining customer recognition. An internal benefit is
a benefit experienced within system such as increased employee moral or reduction in
nonconforming product.
For factories providing product to the International markets such as European
market, USA market, Japan market, it is very likely that Food safety standards
certification is required in order to be considered as a supplier. This would be
considered an external benefit. Realizing external benefits depend seriously on the
specific business and focused market. Further examples of some benefits are:
Benefits to Food Industry
 Reduced legal and insurance costs
 Improved efficiency through better documentation and communication
 Improved consistency of manufactured items
 Improved customer satisfaction
 Reduced customer complaint
 Improved motivation and employee involvement through all levels of the process
 Increased consumer and government confidence
 Increased market access
 Reduction in production costs (reduced recall/wastage of food)
 Improved product consistency
 Improved staff-management commitment to food safety
 Decreased business risk
Benefits to Consumers
 Reduced risk of food-borne diseases
 Increased awareness of basic hygiene
 Increased confidence in the food supply
 Improved quality of life
20

21. Benefits to Governments
 Reduced public health costs
 Improved public health
 More efficient and targeted food control
 Trade facilitation
 Increased confidence of the community in food supply.
Constraints in the implementation Food Safety Standards
in case of SMEs Food industries Thailand
Cost
For implementation of food safety standards in Food industries have additional costs,
of i.e., training of employees, hiring qualified staffs, documenting all data, fee for
Food Safety Standards certification, cost to improve the process, etc. For SMEs
(Small and medium enterprises), it is quite a significant portion of the revolving funds
available. Therefore, if not for exporting and regulatory controls, it is unlikely that
SMEs would invest in such systems.
Knowledge
Implementing food safety standards requirements the full co-operation of employees
and management in all functions hence, everybody in the manufactures need to clear
understanding of the purpose and schemes in successfully applying the Food Safety
Standards certification.
Readiness
Food Safety Standards implemented needs a lot of paper work to be used as
documentation during system verification, monitoring or auditing. Moreover, all staffs
may have additional work to ensure compliance with Food Safety Standards.
Labor
Labor that work in SMEs has the quite high of the turnover rate so the trained
employees may quit and change their jobs every 8-12 months. Thus, it causes
uncertainty and reluctance on the part of the business owner to continue investing
money and employee training. This result in the situation where employees who are
still working in the factory may not understand much about the efforts to do additional
tasks associated with the Food Safety Standards of their industry that effect to the
quality of production and quality of product also.
Production of Technology
Most of SMEs production line is very simply that limitation of the budget. SMEs
could not support high costs for modification of process and work systems in adoption
of principle and rules of GMP , HACCP and QMS in majority of small and medium
food processing so that could not produce the regularly quality of products.
Old machinery in production process
Old machinery and deficiency of preventive maintenance program in production
Processes are causes of contamination. SMEs food industries in Thailand lack
resource to improve or substitute the machine for hygienic production process and not
position to get Food Safety Standards certification.
21

22. Legislation and Enforcement
Lack of sufficient of government officer to monitor and measure government
organization according to Food Safety Standards in Thailand is having an adverse
effect on the food industry. In additional, only one government organization in
Thailand named TISI that can succeed in addressing the whole food quality and food
safety issue.
Food Safety problems of SMEs food industry in Thailand are important
because their business activities occupy and important position in Thai economy.
SMEs focus less on Food Safety Standards than large enterprises. In large enterprises,
the staff can establish effective hygienic design for production to prevent
contamination. In addition, they could select and purchase raw material, ingredients
and packaging material through the food supply chain to produce quality and safety
products. But SMEs have no abilities to do so by themselves because of lack of
technical base and food safety professionals.
Recommendations
1. Food safety could be strengthened by strengthening the links along the food chain
and building in demands by the next person in the chain - this would copy in some
way the customer-led approach to applying HACCP as we have seen by demands
of the customer in the importing country.
2. It is recommended that Thailand depute a separate organization that is responsible,
for food safety standards implementation for the whole country with a clear
objective, strategy and plan. Especially in case of poultry industries,
government should focus in Horizontal issues such as animal feeding, guide to
good farming practices, role of the Veterinary Services in food safety, antimicrobial resistance, animal identification and traceability, meat inspection,
certification, model certificates and also included biotechnology.
3. It is recommended that government policy should aim at providing knowledge,
training, consultation and financial support (for modifying building structure and
equipments) while ensuring that there are sufficient resources for auditing these
factories. In case of poultry industries especially smallholder professional
training is also important, especially for product certification and enforcement of
standards with veterinarians and technicians playing a essential role. Similarly,
basic education with respect to contracting, negotiation, and conflict resolution
would improve the terms of smallholder market participation.
4. It is recommended that the small factories receive better inputs from the
government such as financial assistance and training appropriate to their needs,
level of development etc.
5. The quality and quantity of private consultants must be assured through a
government program to manage development of human resources under a single
standard. The aim is to assure good practices, maintain fair prices and protect the
food industry against poor work of consultants.
22

23. 6. A national policy on facilitating food safety through the application of GMP and
HACCP should include clear procedures for the auditing/certification of factories
to ensure a homogeneous approach. The emphasis of food safety audits should be
on the effectiveness of the HACCP system and not only on the documentation.
7. A central government database could be set up to collect information confirming
the condition or status of the food safety systems at each factory.
8. Thailand needs a national policy to facilitate the development of the food safety
system through the entire food chain. In addition, the Technical One Stop Services
Centre is one of the most important integrated systems that have been established
by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperative, which refers to the issuing of a
single policy by the government. The implementation of this strategy will
eliminate the conflicts and the overlapping work responsibilities among
governmental units, as well as help increase the performance of the food safety
control system. By the ways, the Food Safety Program can be developed through a
series of stages, as shown in Fig. 8.
Stages
Elements
Management responsibility and commitment
Preparation
Food Safety policy
Planning
Product/process
Food safety requirements
Organizational
Specific food safety plan
Implementation
Development of
Capabilities
Emergency management
Operational control
Operational
processes
Supporting tools
eg.HACCP
other reliability
tools. Statistical
process control
etc.
Analysis
Procedures
Operational
criteria
Performance assessment
Assessment of performance audit
Permanent improvement
Review adjustment-improvement
Figure 8 The Food Safety Program
23

24. 9. Food safety awareness should be integrated into curricula from the primary school
level in order to create an effective workforce. In addition universities should have
strong programs on food science, quality assurance, research to support the food
industry in establishing critical limits, validation exercises etc. Therefore, the
government should promote the development of academic curricula, textbooks,
and research projects related to food safety awareness as early as the primary
school level in order to create effective workforce and research data that aids
HACCP system implementation.
Conclusion
Poultry production has undergone rapid changes during the past two decades
as a result of the introduction of modern intensive production methods, genetic
improvements, improved preventive disease control and biosecurity measures,
increasing income and human population, and urbanization. The intensification of
segments of the poultry sector, in proximity to areas of ever more dense human
population, in conjunction with the increasing ease of transport, has led to growth or
scaling-up of poultry production.
Over the past decades, industry and regulators have focused mainly on
scientific and technological advances aimed at preventing or controlling hazards in
food. Today, the analysis of major food safety problems teaches us that many of these
problems have their origins in organizational deficiencies. Increasingly complex food
systems are vulnerable because a global organization for approaching food safety
issues is not growing at the same rate as the food business is changing or consumer
concerns are growing. The principal lesson to be drawn from this overview is that the
challenges of providing food safety have changed. The main challenges for the total
food chain are to maintain the highest standards of safety, to meet new challenges and
reduce the vulnerability of food systems in order to restore and develop public trust.
Meeting this challenge basically requires more effective use of HACCP. Running
alongside is the need to develop a broader approach to food safety management
extending beyond HACCP.
Although the primary focus will be on microbiological issues, the principles
are equally applicable to control of chemical or physical contaminants. Whereas these
principles and their application will probably not pose much of a problem to large
food businesses, which have the necessary resources and expertise, it has to be
appreciated that these changes would increase pressure on smaller, less developed
businesses (e.g. the small and medium-sized enterprises, so-called SMEs). They
would have unique needs for specific assistance and guidance. This should be
provided by governmental authorities and professional organizations, and
interpretation of the risk-based HACCP system should be kept flexible to allow them
to apply it. To benefit all food producers and consumers, it is essential in particular
that scientists from the academy, government, professional organizations and industry
work together to provide the necessary information, advice and technical support. The
increasing complexity of food safety and the significant changes occurring in the
global economy present a unique opportunity and challenge. Going beyond HACCP
towards a risk-based food safety management program will be crucial for companies
wishing to move from a regional or national scale to an international one. It is likely
that only companies that recognize this need will be successful on the international
marketplace during the twenty-first century.
24

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