Officials seize 25 tonnes of illegal meat from Chon Buri factory

About 25 tonnes of meat, worth about five million baht, intended for barbecues may now end up being cooked in a burn pit instead. Chon Buri authorities raided an illegal meat processing plant yesterday and impounded 25 tonnes of cow and pig offal along with other meats. The factory was in the Si Racha district of the eastern province.

The Livestock Development Department uncovered the illegal stash in over 50 containers stashed in a makeshift production facility. The containers were housed in cooler tanks and refrigerated containers. The meat was stored soaked in formalin, a watered-down type of formaldehyde used for preservation that can cause chemical burns and throat swelling. Each of the containers had 25 litres of formalin that the animal products were packed in.

The massive stockpile was seized by the Livestock Department according to Thai PBS World. Meat samples will be analysed in the lab to see if there is any disease or dangerous substance contamination in the stash.

The illegal meat processing plant with discovered when neighbours complained of an awful stench coming from the factory. Neighbourhood residents expressed fears that whatever was going on in there could potentially spread disease throughout their community.

Among the items turned up during the raid were receipts for about 2,300 orders from customers. They contained the customers’ names and information as well as the quantities of various meat products they had ordered for delivery. The illegal meat was scheduled to be delivered to over 60 different barbecue shops throughout Chon Buri province.

Now the meat has been impounded and officials have ordered the owner of the factory to submit legal documents and operating licenses to the Livestock Department within 15 days. If they aren’t able to produce the proper paperwork, the meat will be disposed of either by burial or by burning all 25 tonnes.