June 4, 2026
THIMPHU – Pig farmers in southern Bhutan say government efforts to stabilise the struggling pork sector have failed to address deeper challenges, including declining consumer demand, illegal meat inflows and recurring outbreaks of African Swine Fever (ASF).
While the government has established a national committee to assess market conditions and introduced a price guarantee scheme for piggery farmers, producers argue that measures focused solely on pricing offer limited relief in a market where demand for domestic pork continues to weaken.
Farmers link the current situation to a mix of factors that have pulled down farm-gate prices and cut into returns. They say price-based measures do little in a market where demand itself continues to weaken.
Even a guaranteed or capped price, they argue, offers limited relief when fewer people are buying domestic pork, and the wider system around production, supply and consumption remains under strain.
“One of the biggest concerns is the continued inflow of illegal meat,” said a farmer in Samtse. “As long as meat enters the market outside the regulatory system, local producers will struggle to compete.”
Although meat imports into Bhutan are subject to strict regulations and require certification from the Bhutan Food and Drug Authority (BFDA), farmers and local leaders believe illegal inflows through border areas remain widespread.
They argue that such products bypass health inspections and regulatory controls, placing domestic producers at a disadvantage while potentially increasing biosecurity risks.
The issue has been a longstanding concern in southern districts. It was raised during the Dzongkhag Tshogdu in Samtse last year, where local leaders called for stronger enforcement and quicker intervention to protect farmers from market distortions and disease threats.
Illegal meat entry adds pressure on domestic pork market
According to the Bhutan Agriculture and Livestock Statistics 2024, swine meat imports stood at 219 metric tonnes in 2024, compared with 1.14 metric tonnes in 2023 and 1,224 metric tonnes in 2022. Bovine meat imports totalled 1,247 metric tonnes in 2024, down from 1,961 metric tonnes in 2023 and 1,972 metric tonnes in 2022.
Meanwhile, records from the Royal Bhutan Police at the Integrated Checkpost (ICP) in Phuentsholing show that authorities intercepted 7,004 kilogrammes of bovine meat, 3,832 kilogrammes of pork, 909 kilogrammes of chicken and 48,937 kilogrammes of fish between 2024 and May 31, 2026.
In Samtse, around 200 kilogrammes of meat products were seized in six separate cases over the past two years.
Sources say seizure figures likely represent only a fraction of the actual volume entering through informal channels.
Some of the methods reportedly used to evade detection include concealing meat within legitimate consignments and transporting products in vehicles delivering ice to meat shops in border towns.
A source in Phuentsholing said meat is sometimes transported alongside ice shipments because Bhutan relies heavily on ice imports from India.
Local leaders in Samtse say meat products continue to appear in local markets in quantities that seem inconsistent with recorded domestic production and legal imports.
“Meat items remain available in hotels and restaurants in the town, when our farmers have not sold that much quantity and even the legally imported meat cannot last that long. I am sure they have some secret arrangements,” a local leader said.
BFDA officials have acknowledged that once meat enters informal distribution channels, tracking its origin and final destination becomes increasingly difficult.
Enforcement agencies also face operational challenges. Sources say police personnel stationed at the ICP are responsible for multiple duties, including managing the Checkpost Management System, processing documentation and conducting vehicle inspections.
With limited manpower and heavy traffic volumes, conducting thorough inspections of loaded vehicles can be difficult, particularly when prohibited items are concealed deep within consignments.
Illegal meat linked to ASF outbreaks
Farmers and officials say illegal meat inflows may also be contributing to the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF), which has affected pig farms in southern districts, including Samtse and Chukha, in recent months.
Although authorities have not established a direct causal link, officials suspect illegally transported meat could be one of several transmission pathways.
Farmers say the risk is particularly acute among small-scale producers who continue to feed pigs with food waste collected from hotels and restaurants. If that waste contains contaminated pork products, the virus can spread rapidly through herds.
Larger commercial farms have increasingly shifted to packaged feed and stricter biosecurity protocols, including fencing, controlled access and reduced reliance on food waste. Producers say these measures have lowered exposure to disease compared with traditional farming practices.
Farmers also say infection from wild boars is less likely in fenced farms, although farms without proper biosecurity remain exposed to different risks.