Thailand Suspends Live Pig and Carcass Imports from Finland and Hungary

Thailand has imposed a temporary suspension on the importation or transit of live domestic and wild pigs and their carcasses from Finland and Hungary to prevent the spread of African Swine Fever ****.

Thailand’s Department of Livestock Development (DLD) has stopped imports and transit of live pigs, wild pigs and their carcasses from Hungary from Aug. 21, 2026, and from Finland from Sept. 23, 2026, for 90 days each¹.

The Finland order aims to keep African swine fever, a disease of pigs, out of Thailand². Thailand told the World Trade Organization (WTO) about the Finland order in a notice dated Sept. 23, 2026².

In short, no live pig, wild pig or pig carcass from Finland or Hungary may enter Thailand, or pass through it, while the orders run. A shipment of these goods from either country will not be cleared at the Thai border until the suspension ends or is lifted.

What has Thailand stopped at its border?

The DLD is Thailand’s livestock agency and also runs border checks on animals. On its list of import suspensions for 2026, it shows two new orders on pigs from Europe¹.

The first order covers pigs, wild pigs, pig carcasses and wild pig carcasses from Hungary¹. The DLD signed it on Aug. 20, 2026. It runs 90 days, from Aug. 21 to Nov. 18, 2026¹.

The second order covers the same goods from Finland¹. The DLD signed it on Sept. 22, 2026. It runs 90 days, from Sept. 23 to Dec. 21, 2026¹.

Each order uses the Thai word for "slowing down" imports. In practice, the WTO notice describes the Finland order as a temporary suspension of importation or transit². This means the goods cannot come in, and they also cannot cross Thailand on the way to another country.

Why did Thailand act against Finland and Hungary?

The WTO notice gives the reason for the Finland order. The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the global body for animal disease, reported an outbreak of African swine fever in Finland².

The notice says Thailand must prevent the disease from entering the country². It calls the order an emergency measure to protect the domestic livestock industry². It lists animal health as the only objective, not food safety².

The DLD’s list gives the same type of order for Hungary, with the same goods and the same 90-day length¹. The list does not state a reason for the Hungary order.

What law does the pig import suspension rest on?

The Finland order rests on the Animal Epidemics Act B.E. 2558 (2015), Thailand’s main animal disease law². The WTO notice points to Article 6, Paragraph 1, and Article 33 of that act².

The notice also says the order follows the international standard on African swine fever². That standard is Chapter 15.1 of the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code, the global rule book for land animal diseases². Thailand ticked "yes" when asked if its order matches this standard².

The order itself is written in Thai and is one page long². Thailand’s office for agricultural and food standards, known as ACFS, handles questions and comments on it as the national contact point for the WTO².

Which pig goods are covered?

The WTO notice names the goods as live domestic pigs and wild pigs and their carcasses². It defines these goods by the Animal Epidemics Act rather than by tariff codes². The notice gives no list of customs codes.

In plain words, the orders reach:

• Live farm pigs, such as breeding pigs and pigs for slaughter.
• Live wild pigs, also called wild boar.
• Carcasses of either animal, the Thai legal term for the body of a dead animal or parts of it.

The notice does not list which processed pork products fall inside the term. A trader with pork goods that are not live animals or whole bodies would need to check with the DLD before shipping.

Who is affected by the Finland and Hungary orders?

Exporters of pigs and pork in Finland and Hungary lose access to Thailand for the length of each order. Any shipment that leaves after the start date will be turned back or held at the Thai border.

Thai importers of breeding pigs, pork and other pig goods from these two countries must find other suppliers. Shipping lines and freight firms also feel the change. Because transit is banned too, a load of Finnish or Hungarian pig goods cannot pass through a Thai port on its way to a third country².

Customs brokers in Thailand will see the DLD block entry papers for these goods. Buyers in Thailand may see fewer European pig products on offer while the orders last.

Which other countries face Thai pig bans?

Finland and Hungary join a long list. The DLD’s 2026 list shows other 90-day orders on pigs, wild pigs and their carcasses that are still running¹.

On Aug. 21, 2026, the same day as the Hungary order, the DLD also renewed orders on pig goods from India and Italy¹. Those run to Nov. 18, 2026, the same end date as Hungary¹.

Earlier, on July 22, 2026, the DLD renewed pig orders on Indonesia, South Korea, Germany, Poland and the Philippines¹. Those run to Oct. 19, 2026¹. An order on pigs from Spain ran from July 1 to Sept. 29, 2026¹.

The list shows a clear pattern. The DLD often issues a fresh 90-day order on the same country when the old one ends¹. India, Italy, Poland, Germany and others appear again and again through 2026¹.

When do the pig import suspensions end?

The Hungary order is set to end on Nov. 18, 2026¹. The Finland order is set to end on Dec. 21, 2026¹.

Neither date is a promise that trade will open. Based on the DLD’s past orders, it can sign a new 90-day order when one ends¹. For instance, its orders on pigs from India and Italy ran from May 22 to Aug. 20, 2026, and were then renewed from Aug. 21¹.

The WTO notice lists Sept. 23, 2026, as the date the Finland order entered into force². It sets no deadline for comments.

Key points on Thailand’s pig import suspensions

The table below sums up the two orders.

The next date to watch is Nov. 18, 2026, when the Hungary order is set to end. The DLD can then let it lapse or issue a fresh 90-day order, as it has done for India and Italy¹.

Sources

1. ↩ ประกาศชะลอการนำเข้าหรือนำผ่านราชอาณาจักร ปี 2569 – กองสารวัตรและกักกัน กรมปศุสัตว์ https://aqi-new.dld.go.th/index.php/th/news-head/announcedld
2. ↩ NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES https://docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/SS/directdoc.aspx?filename=q:/G/SPS/NTHA815.pdf