China Blacklists 17 Thai Companies Over Smuggled Chicken Feet Exports; Hunt Underway for Smugglers Posing as Thai Producers
China has blacklisted 17 Thai chicken processing companies worth over 30 billion baht in lost exports after smugglers illegally shipped foreign chicken feet under false Thai credentials, exceeding the country's actual production capacity.
On May 18, 2025, former Pheu Thai list MP Nikhom Bunyavises disclosed that multiple chicken processing companies have lodged complaints about being unable to export chicken feet to China due to smuggling operations impersonating legitimate Thai producers and illegally shipping chicken feet to China in their place.
China's authorities grew dissatisfied when an inspection revealed that chicken feet volumes sent from Thailand exceeded actual production capacity. This prompted swift action from China's food safety agencies, which blacklisted 17 out of 22 Thai companies, resulting in over 30 billion baht in lost export value.
Bunyavises stated that business operators have petitioned Agriculture Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit to help resolve the issue and urgently track down the smugglers shipping foreign chicken feet under false Thai credentials to China.
The General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC), a ministry-level agency overseeing all import-export controls, taxes, and safety standards, previously sent warning letters to relevant Thai agencies demanding investigation and correction, citing impacts on Chinese safety standards. However, these warnings were largely ignored.
GACC has now issued a fourth warning letter to the Department of Livestock at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, cautioning that continued disregard of its concerns could damage bilateral relations and undermine Chinese confidence in other Thai exports.
The issue has persisted since July 2024 without apparent action from responsible agencies. Over the past ten months, across two administrations, business operators have appealed to government bodies and the Ministry of Agriculture without receiving adequate responses. "If this continues, all 17 affected companies could face closure or downsizing, impacting significant numbers of workers," Bunyavises warned.
As a former Pheu Thai MP and representative of a coalition government party, Bunyavises pledged to investigate the truth and resolve the crisis to preserve Thailand's exports and restore Chinese confidence before the situation deteriorates further.
