Thailand Suspends Avian Products Imports Amid Avian Influenza Outbreaks

Thailand has imposed temporary suspensions on the importation or transit of live poultry and poultry carcasses from Spain, Hungary, France, and the United Kingdom to prevent the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza under regulations.

THAILAND – AVIAN PRODUCTS

Thailand Temporarily Bans Poultry from Europe

Imports of live birds and meat from Spain, Hungary, France, and the UK are restricted due to bird flu.

0105 Live poultry HS code

0207 Meat HS code

24 Apr 2026 Spain suspension lifted

24 Jun 2026 Hungary suspension lifted

What changed

Suspension lifted for Spain effective 24 April 2026.

Suspension lifted for Hungary effective 24 June 2026.

Imports restricted from certain areas of France, allowed only if risk assessments confirm disease-free status.

Imports restricted from certain areas of the UK, permitted only upon compliance with DLD measures and risk assessment.

Who it affects

Importers of live poultry and meat must verify HS Codes 0105 and 0207 compliance.

Shippers from France and the UK must provide risk assessments and meet DLD measures.

Key dates

24 April 2026 — suspension lifted for Spain.

24 June 2026 — suspension lifted for Hungary.

Thailand — avian influenza import suspensions and restrictions

Regulation Analysis

Thailand has imposed temporary suspensions on the importation or transit of live poultry and poultry carcasses from specific regions in Spain, Hungary, France, and the United Kingdom to prevent the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) under the Animal Epidemics Act B.E. 2558 (2015). The suspensions target regions with confirmed HPAI outbreaks (Subtype H5N1) and apply to all live poultry and poultry carcasses from the listed areas^{1, 2}.

Below is a structured summary of the suspensions based on the provided sources:

Country	Regions Covered	Products Covered	Reason	Effective Date	Legal Basis
France	Tarn-et-Garonne, Dordogne, Haute-Garonne	Live poultry and poultry carcasses	HPAI (Subtype H5N1) outbreak¹	10 June 2026	Animal Epidemics Act B.E. 2558 (2015)¹
United Kingdom	Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire	Live poultry and poultry carcasses	HPAI (Subtype H5N1) outbreak²	3 April 2026 (Yorkshire), 10 June 2026 (Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire)	Animal Epidemics Act B.E. 2558 (2015)²

Key Observations:

Scope of Suspension:
- The suspensions apply to all live poultry and poultry carcasses originating from or transiting through the specified regions^{1, 2}.
- The measure is temporary but does not specify an end date in the provided sources.

Legal Authority:
- The suspensions are enforced under the Animal Epidemics Act B.E. 2558 (2015), which grants the Department of Livestock Development (DLD) the authority to restrict imports to prevent disease spread^{1, 2}.

Regional Specificity:
- The suspensions are region-specific rather than country-wide. For example, only certain departments in France (e.g., Tarn-et-Garonne) and counties in the UK (e.g., Yorkshire) are affected^{1, 2}.

Varied Effective Dates:
- The UK suspension for Yorkshire took effect on 3 April 2026, while the suspensions for Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire (UK) and all listed French regions began on 10 June 2026^{1, 2}.

Summary Answer

Thailand has temporarily suspended the importation or transit of live poultry and poultry carcasses from specific regions in France (Tarn-et-Garonne, Dordogne, Haute-Garonne) and the United Kingdom (Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire) due to confirmed outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI, Subtype H5N1). These measures are enforced under the Animal Epidemics Act B.E. 2558 (2015) and took effect on 10 June 2026 for most regions, except Yorkshire (UK), which was suspended earlier on 3 April 2026^{1, 2}. The suspensions apply uniformly to all live poultry and poultry carcasses from the listed areas. No end date for the suspensions is specified in the provided sources.

Sources

↩ WTO SPS notification 26-03057 — Thailand https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2026/SPS/THA/26_03057_00_e.pdf
↩ WTO SPS notification 26-03058 — Thailand https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2026/SPS/THA/26_03058_00_e.pdf