Bangkok--21 Feb--Department of Livestock Development
Claiming the cruelty killing by a foreign news, Thailand Department of Livestock Development insisted that clubbing pig to death is against the Control of Animal Slaughter for the Distribution of Meat Act, B.E. 2559 (2016).
Director General of the Department of Livestock Development, Dr. Sorrawis Thaneto rebuted that the foreign media repeated the former news first publicised last year. This destroyed Thailand's image. He asserted that incomplete immobilization by clubbing is illegal under the law and against the animal welfare principles. The department has been working hard to eliminate the slaughterhouses that use the technique and strictly enforced the law. Since 2015, the officers cooperating with police and military have continued enforcing the laws conscientiously on more than 500 illegal slaughterhouses. Meanwhile, the licensed slaughterhouses are inspected at least twice a year.
"The photos publicised by a foreign media are old photos taken last year presumably by a reporter sneaking into a slaughterhouse. We beg all not to share or forward them as this will cause greater damage to Thailand. For years, the department has deployed mobile teams in suppressing illegal actions to improve the standards of Thai slaughterhouses and assuring consumers of safety. For their own safety, consumers should only buy products from reliable sources of which products show the department's "OK" label," Dr. Sorrawis said.
He added that meat production process in Thailand has been subjected to strict safety measures throughout the supply chain. All activities at farms are monitored. The monitoring is then extended to cover when transporting animals to slaughterhouses as well as supervising meat production. To ensure the product quality, all slaughterhouses are obliged to allow animals to rest at least 30 minutes before stunning to ease stress.
Whoever having the information on illegal slaughterhouses or illegal acts can inform via the "DLD 4.0" application, Dr. Sorrawis said. The officers will be dispatched to inspect or take legal actions against wrongdoers.