16-7-2023 (BANGKOK) The Customs Department has reported a 10-fold increase in seized smuggled pork this year compared to 2021 due to high local pork prices. According to the department’s director-general, Patchara Anuntasilpa, officials have seized 4.7 million tonnes of smuggled pork, compared to 480,000 tonnes last year. The department heightened its inspections of all frozen imports in recent months after noticing an unusually high recorded amount for the year. The intensified searches led to the discovery of quantities of smuggled pork falsely declared as frozen fish.
Mr Patchara stated that local pork prices have been very high in 2022 and 2023, exceeding 200 baht per kilogramme. The high prices have led to groups sourcing pork from Europe and South America for sale in Thailand. The Customs Department has suspended the licences of shipping agents involved in pork smuggling and is coordinating the disposal of smuggled pork with the Livestock Development Department.
