Exports not hit by bird flu

Thailand's chicken exports are expected to experience minimal impact from the latest outbreak of of bird flu since it was brought under control quickly, local exporters said.
The fresh case of avian flu on a small farm in the Thung Saliam district of Sukhothai late last month has prompted buyers in Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia to reject shipments of about 110 tonnes of frozen and chilled chicken worth 77 million baht, said Anan Sirimongkolkasem, president of the Thai Broiler Processing Exporters Association.
The flu, if prolonged, could reduce fresh chicken meat exports next year to 13,000 tonnes worth 624 million baht. ''But if no other case is found, shipments of raw meat could rise to the projection of 30,000 tonnes to fetch about 1.44 billion baht,'' he said.
The affected volume is quite small when compared with the 350,000 tonnes of chicken exported annually from Thailand, of which 330,000 tonnes are processed or heat-treated products that are unaffected by the flu.
The association has projected 10% growth in chicken exports next year to about 385,000 tonnes. The bird flu outbreak in 2004 damaged the local chicken industry severely with export volume of raw chicken meat plunging to near zero from 480,000 tonnes in 2003.
Major changes have since taken place in the chicken industry. Many producers have shifted to cooked and semi-processed meat for export, and farming and processing standards such as biosecurity farming have been applied.
Officials also have been more effective in controlling the flu, Mr Anan added.
Agriculture Minister Somsak Prissananantakul expressed confidence yesterday that officials would be able to prevent the spread of the flu and said the infection was limited to a small farm in Sukhothai.
As well, he said, officials had told him that an infection at a farm in Uthai Thani was only H5 flu, not the stronger H5N1.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/121108_Business/12Nov2008_biz36.php