PHUKET: Officials and operators of Phuket’s two legally operating pork slaughterhouses have conceded to allow a privately owned abattoir on Army-controlled land in Phuket to open ‒ on the condition that it operates in accordance with legal standards.
The issue came to the fore with protesters gathering in front of Phuket Provincial Hall on Monday (June 19), holding placards bearing slogans such as “Pork vendors want fresh pork” and “Please don’t give benefit to capitalists”.
The protesters were soon asked to join a meeting to hear their grievances, followed by another meeting held at Phuket City Municipality yesterday (June 20).
Phuket City Deputy Mayor Supachok Laongkphet explained that the Phuket City Municipality slaughterhouse closed in November 2020. The municipality requested a budget of “B60-70 million” in order to overhaul the facility so it could reopen, but the budget request was denied.
There are currently only two legal slaughterhouses in Phuket that are legally registered and operating to legal standards: one operated by SuperCheap Co Ltd, the other operated by Bundit Pig Slaughterhouse
“Both of which have insufficient production capacity to meet the demand,” he said.
Representing the protesters, and existing legal slaughterhouses in operation, Watchanachai Tubcleaw called for provincial officials to take action against the Thaweephan Slaughterhouse under construction in Wichit.
Without action, there will be no legal standards regarding slaughterhouses being enforced on the island, he said.
“If you can’t find a solution, it will become a never-ending cumulative problem,” he said.
According to Phuket MP Chalermpong Saengdee, who attended the meeting on Monday, the “entrepreneur” submitted only one claim, that the Thaweephan Slaughterhouse in Wichit was a legitimate slaughterhouse.
Wichit Deputy Mayor Somyos Wijakkanawut disagreed.
The area where Thaweephan Slaughterhouse is located is under the administration of Royal Thai Army Area 5, “which cannot be issued a permit, and if it is allowed to operate will cause trouble”, he said.
Suthat Niyomthai of the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office concurred. “The Phuket Livestock Office has always helped entrepreneurs, but now it’s stuck with the law. [Similar] Claims in other provinces have resulted in legal action,” she said.
However, central to the arguments presented at the meeting yesterday was that without the new slaughterhouse, despite being on Army-controlled land, local providers would continue to be unable to meet local demand for pork.
Representing the Thaweephan Slaughterhouse, Wutthichai Boonkua urged the Provincial Livestock Office to allow the new slaughterhouse to operate. He also called for an inspection of the facility before it is allowed to begin production.
According to government reports of the meeting yesterday, “The outcome of the meeting was satisfactory to all parties.”
Phuket City Deputy Mayor Mr Supachok noted that all relevant agencies are to provide the “operator” (of the Thaweephan Slaughterhouse) “guidelines” ‒ and the rules and regulations ‒ that must be met in order for the new slaughterhouse to open.
The aim of allowing the new slaughterhouse to open was “to alleviate suffering in the short term”, he said.
