Pig farms must process recycled food waste before it is used as hog feed, or face a fine of up to NT$3 million (US$97,238), the Council of Agriculture said on Tuesday as it publicized new regulations to prevent African swine fever, which took effect on Wednesday.
Food waste must be heated by steam at 90°C for one hour before being used as hog feed, it said.
As of earlier this month, the nation had about 7,000 registered pig farms, about 1,741 of which used recycled food waste for feed, while 357 possessed proper steamer units, the council said.
Photo: Wang Chun-chi, Taipei Times
Four hundred additional farms have begun transitioning to commercial feed, while another 439 farms were granted extensions to transition or to make arrangements before being shuttered, it said.
The remaining 555 farms have not updated their status with the Environmental Protection Administration and have not been inspected since, council Deputy Minister Huang Chin-cheng (黃金城) said.
The Department of Animal Industry is to begin inspecting these farms and non-compliance would result in fines, Huang said.
Farms that use leftovers from private homes are to be fined NT$1,200 to NT$6,000, while those using swill from restaurants would be subject to fines as high as NT$3 million, he said.
Some farmers prefer using swill because the high fat content causes black Iberians to produce flavorful, marbled meat, a Hualien-based pig farmer said on condition of anonymity.
However, proper animal care and feed formula could achieve the same results as swill, the farmer added.
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