Dairy Cooperatives Oppose Bill Favoring Large Capital Over Farmers
Dairy cooperatives petitioned parliament against amendments to the Milk and Milk Products Act, warning that reducing farmer board representation from five to two would favor large capital groups and threaten grassroots dairy farmers nationw
On July 1, 2569, representatives from dairy cooperatives across five regions and education institutions submitted a petition to parliament's Agriculture and Cooperative Committee opposing Senate amendments to the Milk and Milk Products Act. They argue the changes severely threaten the stability of grassroots dairy farmers nationwide.
Farmers strongly oppose Section 7 amendments that would reduce farmer representatives on the Milk Board from five experts (one per region) to just two. They contend this dismantles protections for upstream farmer interests and contradicts government policy requiring state promotion of cooperative sectors.
The overall bill also increases representation from private sector and politically-appointed capital groups, contradicting the National Anti-Corruption Commission's recommendation that the Milk Board remain neutral without conflicted industry interests.
Education representative Athit Silpapun highlighted dangerous provisions in Sections 5, 9, and 10 that would grant the Milk Board absolute power over the school milk program, previously monitored by a separate subcommittee. He warned that with capital-dominated boards, grassroots farmers would lose rights, raw milk would be wasted, and if implemented alongside FTA dairy imports, Thai farmers would face immediate bankruptcy.
The Agriculture Committee chairman acknowledged the serious complexity, noting two emergency sessions in recent weeks and establishing a fact-checking taskforce to investigate urgent farmer concerns.
