Following his recent visit to the United States, Thailand’s prime minister this week asked the country’s agriculture ministry to study the impact of allowing U.S. pork imports, according to a story in the Bangkok Post.

Despite an overwhelming body of scientific evidence that demonstrates the safety of ractopamine, Thailand since 2007 has denied market access for U.S. pork based on an unscientific, zero-tolerance policy for this feed additive. Ractopamine has been determined to be safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is approved for use in pork production in 26 countries, with 75 additional countries allowing the import of pork from ractopamine-fed hogs even though it is not fed in their domestic herds.

In July 2012, the United Nation’s Codex Alimentarius Commission, which sets international standards for food safety, approved a maximum residue limit for ractopamine, which U.S. pork meets. The National Pork Producer Council continues to advocate for the removal Thailand’s ban on U.S. pork raised with ractopamine.