Chicken farms under probe for worker abuses
AUTHORITIES in Lop Buri province have kicked off an inspection of chicken farms after reports of abuses of migrant workers from Myanmar.
On Monday, Vice Governor Rangsan Toncharoen led officials from the provincial labour protection office and job placement office and provincial security forces to PJ Farm 2, which is a contracted supplier to Betagro Group. Betagro was implicated after one of its contract farms in the province had allegedly abused 14 Myanmar workers.
“Lop Buri is the country’s largest chicken-processing location. It is a sensitive issue if there is any evidence of substandard labour practices or human trafficking, as this could lead to boycotts from international buyers,” Rangsan said.
He said there were more than 200 chicken farms in the province. All would be inspected after discussions with chicken-processing companies, which fully supported the province’s initiative. At least one farm per one district would be inspected throughout this month.
“The operator of this farm cooperated well and he fully understands labour requirements,” Rangsan said.
Accompanying the inspection team were executives of Betagro Group.
Rungroj Tuntivechapikul, Betagro’s corporate vice president for human resources, reiterated the group’s adherence to international labour standards. The Betagro Labour Standard has been applied at all units in the supply chain, including contract farms, since last November.
“The standard is in line with Thai regulations and international standards. It requires internal and external audits and in case of wrongdoing, contract farmers are required to fix them,” he said.
