Country has a de facto ban on U.S. pork imports through high tariffs and several non-tariffs barriers.

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Because of African swine fever, Thailand is predicting as much as a 40% decline in hog production this year, and the National Pork Producers Council is hoping the country finally will give the U.S. pork industry more access to the Thai market. Thailand's pork imports are minimal, with 2021 volume at just over 26,000 metric tons, 99% of which was from the European Union.

The country has a de facto ban on U.S. pork imports through high tariffs and several non-tariffs barriers. Import duties are 30% or 40% on most products, and it imposes a license fee for imported pork equal to about $220 per metric ton compared with $7.50 per metric ton for domestically produced pork. U.S. pork exports to Thailand must be cooked and/or prepared.

NPPC says Thailand maintains these obstacles to U.S. pork despite the United States being its No. 2 export market and despite receiving – until late 2020 – duty-free access to the U.S. market for many of its goods under the Generalized System of Preferences.

In November 2020, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative suspended more than $800 million in GSP trade preferences for Thailand for its failure to grant the United States "equitable and reasonable market access" for U.S. pork products. The decision followed a 2018 petition by NPPC, asking USTR to review Thailand's eligibility for the GSP program.

NPPC is continuing to work with USTR and the government in Bangkok to further open the Thai market to U.S. pork.

Source: National Pork Producers Council, which is solely responsible for the information provided, and wholly owns the information. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset. The opinions of this writer are not necessarily those of Farm Progress/Informa.

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