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Thai Produce Exports Struggle To Meet New EU Standards


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Thai Produce Exports Struggle to Meet New EU Standards

Thai fruit and vegetable exporters expect a significant drop in orders heading to the European Nations market after new quality control measures have been adopted.

President of the Thai Fruit and Vegetable Producer Association Pathom Tankham expects the number of the orders heading to the European Union in 2011 to be reduced by 50 percent compared to last year, marking a significant drop, from 7 to 8 billion baht per year to 4 to 5 billion baht per year.

The decline comes after new quality control standards have been adopted by the EU.

Thai produce growers have been strongly advised to increase the quality of their exports, to avoid being banned from the EU market.

Pathom pointed out that Thai exporters will have to adapt to the Good Agriculture Practice standards that recently came into effect in the EU.

Soon, the union will enforce stricter quality control on all of its imported goods.

Thai fishery products have already been affected.

Meanwhile, the Thai Chamber of Commerce has indicated that the private sector will propose that the government adopt the Thai Good Agriculture Practices, the country's own set of quality control standards, to increase the quality of Thai products in the global market.

Thai exporters will also ask the state to apply the new standards to problematic products such as sweet basil and chili.

The same quality guidelines will also be enforced on the fruits and vegetables imported into Thailand.

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-- Tan Network 2011-02-11

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The GLOBALGAP standard requires that producers establish a complete control and monitoring system. Products are registered and can be traced back to the specific farm unit where they were grown. GLOBALGAP rules are relatively flexible about field practices such as soil fumigation and fertilizer usage. There are strict regulations about pesticide storage and pesticide residue limits. In addition, it is important to record and justify how the product was produced, so detailed records must be kept about farm practices.

Thailand, record keeping on the farm. Ya right.

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The GLOBALGAP standard requires that producers establish a complete control and monitoring system. Products are registered and can be traced back to the specific farm unit where they were grown. GLOBALGAP rules are relatively flexible about field practices such as soil fumigation and fertilizer usage. There are strict regulations about pesticide storage and pesticide residue limits. In addition, it is important to record and justify how the product was produced, so detailed records must be kept about farm practices.

Thailand, record keeping on the farm. Ya right.

Been there done that. Can be done, but for domestic Thai companies to implement it from scratch will take a very very long time.

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I have a feeling this is more to do with paperwork than actual quality of produce. Asking a semi-literate farmer to carry out the procedures required may be be a bit much.

For sure, most of the bananas grown in Thailand would not be acceptable to the EU because they don't fit the EU description of a banana.

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The last sentence says it all.

The same quality guidelines will also be enforced on the fruits and vegetables imported into Thailand.

Seriously?

Is that Thailand's way of fixing their lax quality guidelines?annoyed.gif

What a bunch of cry babies.

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I have had a problem in the UK ,I used to go every week to buy Thai veg, Most have been stopped now because of bad practices, They have found insects, fungus, pesticides, along with Ecole and many other bacteria. also even the prawns are contaminated with pesticides and steroids to make them grow bigger, maybe the EU is right and making a stand before an epidemic starts.But i do Miss my Thai veg though.

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Not just for Thailand of course also applys to every other country that sells to the EU.

Look for a vege shortage soon in EU countries.

Then again it could just be a measure to protect their own farmers.

Would anyone know if it is true that EU farmers are already subsadise?

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Not just for Thailand of course also applys to every other country that sells to the EU.

Look for a vege shortage soon in EU countries.

Then again it could just be a measure to protect their own farmers.

Would anyone know if it is true that EU farmers are already subsadise?

Yup, but the system has undergone a lot of changes in recent years.

At the end of the day, food has to be provably safe for consumption. Enforcing rules about pesticide residues and various other contaminants is a fair thing to do.

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I have a feeling this is more to do with paperwork than actual quality of produce. Asking a semi-literate farmer to carry out the procedures required may be be a bit much.

For sure, most of the bananas grown in Thailand would not be acceptable to the EU because they don't fit the EU description of a banana.

If those most affected (producers/growers) care not capable of filling out the proper paper work, How do they follow proper procedure for mixing and use of pesticides/fungicides. etc? There are some real problems here and it is going to take action to get things proper, and safe for the consumer and the producer. If a threat of ban on imports will works, great, if not take further steps that hurt their pocket book and they may pay attention.

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I have a feeling this is more to do with paperwork than actual quality of produce. Asking a semi-literate farmer to carry out the procedures required may be be a bit much.

For sure, most of the bananas grown in Thailand would not be acceptable to the EU because they don't fit the EU description of a banana.

If those most affected (producers/growers) care not capable of filling out the proper paper work, How do they follow proper procedure for mixing and use of pesticides/fungicides. etc? There are some real problems here and it is going to take action to get things proper, and safe for the consumer and the producer. If a threat of ban on imports will works, great, if not take further steps that hurt their pocket book and they may pay attention.

Most farmers here use nothing more sophisticated than the stuff you find in most household pesticides. It is cheap as chips and knocks anything on the head in a second. Unfortunately it takes quite a while to break down, and nearly all farmers use far too much, because they want to be sure it works. Getting them to change to something slightly less potent is very difficult and the other types are generally more expensive and don't have the effect of killing everything in minutes.

Of course, when you ask the question if it is so easy to break the import residue threshold into the US or EU for this stuff, why does it continue to be sold so freely, you get the obvious blank stare.

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Not just for Thailand of course also applys to every other country that sells to the EU.

Look for a vege shortage soon in EU countries.

Then again it could just be a measure to protect their own farmers.

Would anyone know if it is true that EU farmers are already subsadise?

Yes, yes, and yes! Its obviously another plan disguised as being in the public interest to protect local farmers. Has anyone ever stood on the edge of a wheat crop, or other larger scale crop in the UK, Germany,or France and wondered why there are no weeds to be seen? Not even a single one!! Because in the case of wheat in the UK, from planting to harvest the crop gets sprayed 40+ times !! Weeds are an endangered species in Europe. At least you can still find one here. Are EU farmers subsidised - short answer - yes for the last 35 years. Of course they don't want anyone else in there, especially from Asia, Australia, NZ or other places where subsidies are minimal.

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Seem to remember reading that there are pestasides sold in Thailand and other Asian, South American and African countries that are banned in the US and UE.

These are made by US and UE companies who know well the harmful efects but they will still produce them and sell them wherever they can, why? profit of course.

And the farmers use tham in some cases because of ignorance, the agents for the manufacturer ramp them up as the best or because of price, the cheapest avaliable.

There needs to be a two pronged assult on this.

Countries like Thailand need to ban their use and countrys where they are made need to ban their manufacture.

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Not just for Thailand of course also applys to every other country that sells to the EU.

Look for a vege shortage soon in EU countries.

Then again it could just be a measure to protect their own farmers.

Would anyone know if it is true that EU farmers are already subsadise?

Yes, yes, and yes! Its obviously another plan disguised as being in the public interest to protect local farmers. Has anyone ever stood on the edge of a wheat crop, or other larger scale crop in the UK, Germany,or France and wondered why there are no weeds to be seen? Not even a single one!! Because in the case of wheat in the UK, from planting to harvest the crop gets sprayed 40+ times !! Weeds are an endangered species in Europe. At least you can still find one here. Are EU farmers subsidised - short answer - yes for the last 35 years. Of course they don't want anyone else in there, especially from Asia, Australia, NZ or other places where subsidies are minimal.

Are you aware/familiar with tillage prior to planting to eliminate weed growth in the money crop? Then you plant so that those remaining weed seed are chocked out by you cover/money crop. I know of no commercial crop which produces enough income to spray it 40 times and I would include poppy as well. The competition to the real world farmer does not come from what the Thai can export, chili, herbs, fruit, etc The UK and Europe raise little food grains that Thailand exports (rice) and the reverse works for wheat, barley, oats, etc.

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3 weeks ago a large batch of Thai sweet basil was rejected in Brussels because of too high pesticide content.

it resulted in a shortage immediately.

Traders are acquiring it from another source.

Now restaurants there are getting their stuff from... Cambodia!

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...Thai produce growers have been strongly advised to increase the quality of their exports, to avoid being banned from the EU market....

In other words, it is perfectly acceptable to sell poisoned vegetables in Thailand. I had an experience with that, eating a salad bought at Tops labelled "organic" and getting mild food poisoning.

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  • 3 weeks later...

The discussion about this creates the issue for us here... how to eat healthful produce in our diet without getting poisoned by pesticides in the process.... Especially considering that apparently, the label "organic" for Thai produced produce means next to nothing due to no/lax enforcement....

So I was looking around to find the answer to the question, what fruits and vegetables are the least likely to absorb/retain pesticides vs. what ones are most likely to absorb/retain them... See one source of an answer below....based on U.S. testing...

Every year, the Environmental Working Group publishes a report of the most pesticide contaminated produce. According to their 2010 report, you can lower your pesticide exposure by nearly 80% by simply avoiding the top 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables. These rankings are based on the pesticide levels reported by the FDA and USDA Pesticide Testing Program. The metrics used to compile their list are here.

Generally, produce with thin skin (like celery) is more apt to absorb pesticides than produce with thicker skin (like an avocado). Note that all produce was washed before it was tested. Here's the list:

THE DIRTY DOZEN Produce you really need to buy organic

(Listed in order of worst to least, but they're all bad)

Celery

Peaches

Strawberries

Apples

Blueberries

Nectarines

Bell Peppers

Spinach

Kale/Collard Greens

Cherries

Potatoes

Grapes (Imported)

THE CLEAN FIFTEEN

Relatively clean produce that isn't critical to buy organic

(Listed in order of cleanest to dirtiest, but they are still the top 15 cleanest) Onions

Avocado

Sweet Corn (clean but not very healthy, skip it)

Pineapple

Mango

Sweet Peas

Asparagus

Kiwi

Cabbage

Eggplant

Cantaloupe

Watermelon

Grapefruit

Sweet Potato

Honeydew Melon

http://www.environme...-and-vegetables

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Not just for Thailand of course also applys to every other country that sells to the EU.

Look for a vege shortage soon in EU countries.

Then again it could just be a measure to protect their own farmers.

Would anyone know if it is true that EU farmers are already subsadise?

Yes, yes, and yes! Its obviously another plan disguised as being in the public interest to protect local farmers. Has anyone ever stood on the edge of a wheat crop, or other larger scale crop in the UK, Germany,or France and wondered why there are no weeds to be seen? Not even a single one!! Because in the case of wheat in the UK, from planting to harvest the crop gets sprayed 40+ times !! Weeds are an endangered species in Europe. At least you can still find one here. Are EU farmers subsidised - short answer - yes for the last 35 years. Of course they don't want anyone else in there, especially from Asia, Australia, NZ or other places where subsidies are minimal.

Are you aware/familiar with tillage prior to planting to eliminate weed growth in the money crop? Then you plant so that those remaining weed seed are chocked out by you cover/money crop. I know of no commercial crop which produces enough income to spray it 40 times and I would include poppy as well. The competition to the real world farmer does not come from what the Thai can export, chili, herbs, fruit, etc The UK and Europe raise little food grains that Thailand exports (rice) and the reverse works for wheat, barley, oats, etc.

Maybe 40 times was a bit high and that was some years ago when I worked on one of the largest in East Anglia. But it was into the 20's by the owners own reckoning. But maybe prices/subsidies were even better then.

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There are home pregnancy tests, home aids tests, what we need now are home residue pesticides tests. Go to the market and check out what you are buying before purchase. :whistling:

I don't know if you meant that tongue in cheek. But not such a bad Idea.

jb1

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The best way to protect yourself from pesticides is by washing all fruits and vegetables first in white vinegar , then rinse with peroxide , this also covers for e-coli .

Incidenttaly , they use far less insecticides/fertilizers in Cambodia , in fact the MiL uses nada of either and her fruit is well known for taste , it is suggested not to purchase Thai fruit because " They put tablet in " . Good tilling solves most of the need for spraying , we practised that during WW11 as many families grew food on ' Allotments' to supplement shortages .

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There are home pregnancy tests, home aids tests, what we need now are home residue pesticides tests. Go to the market and check out what you are buying before purchase. :whistling:

very simple - home test buy an orange peel it and keep the peel....hold up a lighter and squeeze the outside of the orange peel into the flame - make sure you keep your head away....part of whats in the peel goes into your body. thanks to the EU food here in Thailand will also hopefully get safer - as here they only care for the quick buck don't mind poisoning you and your family for a quick profit.

Just a week or so ago I watched the farmer opposite our "Ranch" spraying pesticides on his fruit trees - totally unprotected inhaling the poison in the air for hours - after he had sprayed all the land around them to kill off the grass and other plants. The other farmer sprays weed killer (instead of cutting the tall grass !)all along the water canal leading to his rice field - of course a week or so later it all turns brown - I am sure at least half of the poison goes into the water that fills the rice fields and enters the top soil - the rice is of course sprayed again with insecticides / pesticides - the chemical industry will tell you that this is all totally harmless to your body - sadly most of us have no choice then to eat the poison that ends up in the food chain every day.

Kudos to the EU for at least trying to minimize chemicals in food - if countries like Thailand can not provide safe food according to the EU standards or are unwilling to do away with their own ridiculous "standards" so be it - others will be able to provide relatively safe food - tough luck for the countries who can't or go on poisoning their own citizens for a quick profit because no inspections ever take place or corruption rules!

This is of course not restricted to food - a friend of mine recently lost a substantial contract in Europe because the Thai producer of the products he exports was unwilling (even though he had promised to do so) to invest a few thousand Euros for safety equipment / personal protective equipment demanded by the European buyer and making sure no child labor was used in their factory - upon inspection the company was found an unsafe workplace using child labor (the children where of course just "helping") The factory would have recovered their investment in safety in no time as the contract was worth up to a 150.000 Euros a year - pure greed and short term thinking rules!

Thailand is of course by far not the worst offender - I don't want to even start talking about China here!

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Helps Plants

It is this hydrogen peroxide in rainwater that makes it so much more effective than tap water when given to plants. With the increased levels of atmospheric pollution, however, greater amounts of H202 react with air-borne toxins and never reach the ground. To compensate for this, many farmers have been increasing crop yields by spraying them with diluted hydrogen peroxide (5 to 16 ounces of 35% mixed with 20 gallons of water per acre). You can achieve the same beneficial effect with your house plants by adding 1 ounce of 3% hydrogen peroxide (or 16 drops of 35% solution) to every quart of water you give your plants. (It can also be made into an excellent safe insecticide. Simply spray your plants with 8 ounces of 3% peroxide mixed with 8 ounces of white sugar and one gallon of water.)

The full article may be found here. http://educate-yourself.org/cancer/benefitsofhydrogenperozide17jul03.shtml

Most Thai pharmacies stock 3% hydrogen peroxide and I use it a couple of times a week as a mouthwash. Much cheaper than a dentist's solution to whitening teeth. Great for use in cleaning up in the kitchen especially for wooden chopping blocks.

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