I'd like to learn more about the system for raising and selling beef cattle in northern Thailand. In recent years, I see that many of the local 'ranchers' are releasing their herds to graze in the public forests- even inside protected areas. I don't think their is any kind of a permitting or regulatory process involved with this practice; it seems to be mostly the 'wild west' environment. There aren't any large predators left in the Thai forests, so I imagine they don't lose many. Some of these guys are now lighting the forest floor on fire to encourage the grass to grow and this is making the air quality horrendously bad, among other problems. Are these cattle typically finished in Thailand and then processed here as well, or are some of them being shipped directly, without time in a CAFO, to China? I see news reports of plans by the Lao PDR to sell 500,000 head a year to the Chinese. Last year, they sold about 50,000 head to China, so it seems clear where this is going. Are the mountain Thais also selling direct to the Chinese, or is it all kept in-country? Does anybody have suggestions for a website(s) or perhaps an official report where I could learn more about this? Thanks.
