Organic Chicken And Pork And Cattle In Thailand

[MartinSmetsers]

Hi, we're a starting organic trade company and are looking for producers of organic meats in Thailand. Anyone out there able to help ?

Much Appreciated,

Martin

[slapout]

Martin; I realize your time is valuable, but, if you could give a hint to quantity required, delivery point, live or gutted, your experience/position, company name, etc, it might help for those who may have a interest in selling.

[MartinSmetsers]

Thanks for that...........

Company just started whichI will be supplying (on a weekly basis) around 10 kitchens of larger resorts in Southern Thailand.

Looking to personally visit the farms to get a feel of level of organic quality.

I guess we could soon need about 80 kg of pork, 60 kg of beef, 150 kg of chicken on a weekly basis but I emphasize it has to be genuine organic, certification not required but visit to producer(s) required.

Any and all help is very welcome

Martin

Martin; I realize your time is valuable, but, if you could give a hint to quantity required, delivery point, live or gutted, your experience/position, company name, etc, it might help for those who may have a interest in selling.

[canopy]

I am sorry I don't have an answer to the question you asked but do have some comments. I think inspections are a wise and also an essential strategy at the core. You must know products in Thailand get labelled as natural, whitening or even organic generally as a sales tool in name only. Another thing to be aware of is farmers don't know what organic means. For instance I know a farmer who spread chicken manure and proclaimed his crop as organic. Never even crossed his mind all the masked men doing periodic spraying for bugs and using chemical herbicides are in conflict with this. To get some confidence of genuine organic then at minimum:

1. If there is an organic certification to be had in Thailand and I would guess there is, insist each farmer get this as a prerequisite, not something that happens later because it won't. This should be your first line of defense so it would be interesting to understand why you don't want this.
2. Make very clear to the farms what is acceptable practice and what would cause their business to be dropped. Make the rules are posted where everyone that works there will see them, not just tell the head guy who nods it off and doesn't communicate it.
3. As part of surprise inspections (not scheduled inspections) collect samples and verify them at a lab

[MartinSmetsers]

Thanks for that !

This is exactly what we intend to do although the certification necessity isn't a requirement because in itself it does not carry much value. (I'm speaking out of experience....)

(A certified farm with a neighboring chemical fertilizer and pesticide user doesn't fit in our true organic requirements......)

We have a laboratory where we test samples already. I'm looking for the 'devoted' organic producer.

Thanks for your help,

Martin

I am sorry I don't have an answer to the question you asked but do have some comments. I think inspections are a wise and also an essential strategy at the core. You must know products in Thailand get labelled as natural, whitening or even organic generally as a sales tool in name only. Another thing to be aware of is farmers don't know what organic means. For instance I know a farmer who spread chicken manure and proclaimed his crop as organic. Never even crossed his mind all the masked men doing periodic spraying for bugs and using chemical herbicides are in conflict with this. To get some confidence of genuine organic then at minimum:

1. If there is an organic certification to be had in Thailand and I would guess there is, insist each farmer get this as a prerequisite, not something that happens later because it won't. This should be your first line of defense so it would be interesting to understand why you don't want this.
2. Make very clear to the farms what is acceptable practice and what would cause their business to be dropped. Make the rules are posted where everyone that works there will see them, not just tell the head guy who nods it off and doesn't communicate it.
3. As part of surprise inspections (not scheduled inspections) collect samples and verify them at a lab

[IsaanAussie]

Thanks for that !

This is exactly what we intend to do although the certification necessity isn't a requirement because in itself it does not carry much value. (I'm speaking out of experience....)

(A certified farm with a neighboring chemical fertilizer and pesticide user doesn't fit in our true organic requirements......)

We have a laboratory where we test samples already. I'm looking for the 'devoted' organic producer.

Thanks for your help,

Martin

Well Martin,

You will have no problem finding people on the forum who are devoted to doing things as organically as they can. I would class what I do as "natural" given the realities of Thailand. I use commercial feeds and a minimum of drugs but feel it is the most realistic way to get a product price balance. I produce compost from all excrements from my pigs and a range of other things based on vermicast and EM for pesticides etc... The pigs are housed on concrete floors with rice hulls for bedding and waste collection both in the pens and in the filteration sections of the waste system. The waste water is processed in septic tanks and the sediments used for fertiliser. Many of us try as hard as we can to be responsible.

From your earlier post you wont be buying many animals and you could consider some form of contract growing to exact requirements with a small holder close to your market. That would allow say one litter of pigs to be grown out every one or two months within a more conventional environment. These pigs fed and cared for under organic dictates whilst others under normal feed and vet regimes. Most of the feed could be produced on farm or close by for such a small number of animals. Slaughtered as your order book required.

By the way there are organic certification standards here. Certification can be via local Thai or expat sources.

Isaan Aussie

Edited October 12, 2010 by IsaanAussie

[WatersEdge]

There is an organic farm certification agency in Thailand.

The Lady to speak with is

Wimonlack Blom-Boonvises

Tel: 082-892-2979

086-429-0622

Website: www.onecert.net

www.onecertasia.in

She is Thai, also speaks fluent English, Swede, maybe German.

She lives in Chiang Mai with certification responsibility nationwide.

She has been involved with Organic Vegetables in her own business for a long time,

and recently became the Thailand Certifier.

Beyond that I'd best not speak for her,

as she is well able to present her own case.

She won't know who WatersEdge is,

so tell her the American farmer in Mae Sot recommended her.