The National Human Rights Commission urges the Prime Minister to swiftly support dairy farmers after facing a crisis of "raw milk surplus in the market," proposing urgent measures to extend the school milk program to 365 days a year.
On 10 July 2026, Wasan Pailiklee, a commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission, revealed that the Commission received complaints from dairy farmers in Muak Lek District, Saraburi Province, requesting urgent assistance due to falling raw milk prices. After gathering facts and consulting all stakeholders, it was found that during 2025–2026, farmers faced a raw milk surplus crisis caused by production exceeding purchase quota agreements, continuous increases in imported dairy products, and suspension of milk exports to Cambodia due to border conflicts between Thailand and Cambodia.
These impacts led buyers to limit quotas and depress purchase prices below the market average, causing farmers to accumulate debts, lose income, and in many cases, abandon dairy farming. Meanwhile, the Dairy Farming Promotion Organization of Thailand (DPO), a key state mechanism, faced financial liquidity problems and budget constraints, hindering effective price stabilization interventions. The Commission views this situation as severely affecting farmers' rights to work and maintain adequate living standards. Consequently, on 7 July 2026, it approved sending a letter to the Prime Minister proposing the Cabinet urgently address the problem.
The recommendations are divided into two phases: 1. Urgent measures—The government should mandate welfare agencies, such as schools, border patrol police schools, sports schools, and Buddhist scripture schools, to prioritize purchasing milk from the DPO, and extend the school milk nutrition program to provide milk for students throughout the entire year (365 days instead of the current 260 days). The target group should expand from pre-primary education through Grade 9 to help absorb the surplus raw milk.
2. Measures within one year—The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, together with relevant agencies, should apply technology and innovation to process raw milk into higher-value dairy products such as cream, butter, cheese, and powdered milk. Currently, Thailand depends on imports for up to 90% of these products. The plan also promotes local governments allocating budgets to purchase 100% fresh cow's milk to distribute to elderly people locally. Additionally, nutrition labeling should be improved to clearly indicate ingredient origins, for example, "100% fresh cow's milk (milk from Thai cows)," and increase farmer representation on the dairy management subcommittee to participate in establishing sustainable policies.