Presentation short abstract

Why policy favoured industrial broiler production and how concepts such as food security, efficiency, and global competitiveness have gradually pushed aside alternative systems, such as free-range farming.

Presentation long abstract

The HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza) outbreaks that hit Thailand between 2003 and 2007 affected the organisation of the country’s poultry sector. In the following years, the government encouraged farms to move toward closed production systems and to adopt compartmentalisation practices to lower the risk of future outbreaks. Since Thailand is one of the world's major exporters of chicken, the industry has pushed for more industrialised, vertically integrated production to meet the increasingly strict food safety and animal welfare standards set by foreign importers. This industrial poultry narrative, which focuses on biosecurity, large-scale production, export growth, and national food security, has become dominant in policy discussions. As a result, other alternative forms of poultry farming are marginalised. This paper examines how HPAI outbreaks created an opportunity for these regulatory changes and how certain actors shaped and promoted these narratives. It examines why policy favoured industrial broiler production and how concepts such as food security, efficiency, and global competitiveness have gradually pushed aside alternative systems, such as free-range farming. Ultimately, the paper argues that we need a more inclusive policy framework that recognises the value of diverse production systems and their differing social, environmental, and nutritional contributions.