The Beef Cattle Association of Thailand, along with more than 60 associated organisations, rallied at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to express concerns over a government plan to allow US beef imports in exchange for certain trade deficit items.
The farmers fear such a move would harm the domestic market, which is already under pressure from low-priced imports from Australia and New Zealand.
Sitthiporn Boorananath, vice president of the association, said members have submitted a letter of protest to the prime minister.
"We believe allowing beef and offal imports from the US would only exacerbate farmer struggles. We are already burdened by the effects of free trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand," he said.
The association argues this policy goes against Thai laws prohibiting the use of growth hormones in livestock, a practice which is common in the US.
Growth hormones are recognised as carcinogenic, and their presence in imported beef could endanger consumer health in Thailand.
Mr Sitthiporn criticised the government's recent handling of the matter, saying small cattle farmers were excluded from discussions. "The government gave priority to large pork producers before backing down, yet now there's a push to import beef or beef offal instead," he remarked.
He said the association will also submit its petition to the finance and commerce ministers, urging them to reconsider the policy.
It claims the proposed imports would directly affect over 1.4 million Thai cattle farming households, who are already struggling with falling cattle prices.
These farmers have experienced financial hardship due to imports under the free trade agreement with Australia, which has highlighted the risks to the country's food security, they said.
"The policy will directly affect Thai cattle farmers, who consist of about 1.4 million households, with over 9.6 million cattle valued at over 288 billion baht," he said.
Sewiang Saengkhaw, a beef cattle farmer from Phatthalung, said if the government proceeds with the policy to allow imports of beef and beef offal, cattle farmers across the country will oppose it.
"The government believe the policy is a bargaining tool or exchange for requesting reduced import taxes for Thai products to the United States," he said. "The imports would harm local cattle farmers, particularly the small-scale farmers who are already suffering from low cattle prices and some of whom have had to cease cattle farming altogether."
In addition to economic concerns, the association warned that the imports of US beef could harm Thailand's reputation in global markets. Countries like Malaysia, Vietnam, and China, which have stringent standards regarding growth hormones, may be deterred from importing Thai beef.
The Thai Cattle Association urged the government to reconsider the import policy to protect farmers and ensure the country's long-term economic stability.