Key facts
- Over two tonnes of premium French meat seized in Thailand.
- Shipment lacked mandatory disease and hygiene inspections.
- Products included salted beef, wild boar, duck, lamb, salami, and Parma ham.
- Seizure valued at over 1.2 million baht (US$35,600).
- Illegal imports risk spreading livestock diseases like African swine fever.
Thai authorities seized more than two tonnes of premium French meat and animal products at Suvarnabhumi Airport on October 25, discovering them mixed within a cargo shipment declared solely for fishery products. The operation, conducted by a joint task force including the Department of Livestock Development and the Customs Department, was based on a tip about a well-known premium meat importer allegedly bringing in products without proper disease and hygiene checks. The seized items, valued at over 1.2 million baht (US$35,600), included a variety of meats like salted beef, wild boar, duck, lamb, salami, and Parma ham. These products are suspected of posing risks of animal diseases and being unsafe for consumers. The importer allegedly supplied these to hotel and high-end restaurants. Similar concerns about unsafe food have been raised in Vietnam due to rising costs leading to the use of cheap, unregulated meat.