The Swine Raisers Association of Thailand (SRAT) has raised concerns over the risk of small pig farms going out of business due to a worsening oversupply of pigs, while major farms are competing to expand their production capacity.
The country is experiencing an excessive supply of pork because large pig farms continue expanding production without taking into account actual demand for pork, said Sitthiphan Thankiatphinyo, the SRAT president.
"The production of pork, like that of any other product, needs a good balance between supply and demand," he said. Otherwise, prices can become overly high or ridiculously low as has happened previously, he said. During a previous disease outbreak, pork prices skyrocketed and consumers were badly hit, he said.
By contrast, during a recent incident in which pork smuggled in from abroad flooded the local market, the price of the meat plunged and many farmers went out of business, he said. Instead of expanding capacity, Mr Sitthiphan urged that large pig farms work with smaller farms to ensure sustainability.
Currently, Thailand rears about 20 million pigs per year, mostly at 10 major farms which keep scaling up their production rate, while the demand for pork remains at the same level, he said. "If the situation is left this way and without any intervention to improve the balance between supply and demand, the industry will be badly hit, particularly small farms," he said. Heavy losses may force all small pig farms to go out of business, he said.
Meanwhile, Suntharaphon Singriwong, president of the Northern Swine Raisers Association, praised government efforts to crack down on the illegal use of substances such as salbutamol, clenbuterol and ractopamine in pig feed to enhance protein production in pig muscles.
This effort, which is led by the Department of Livestock Development (DLD), is boosting food safety, he said, adding consumers are advised to look for pork with the logo "DLD OK" to ensure the pork they are buying is safe to eat.
