Livestock buildings that have solar panels installed on the roof can be expanded in size by 30 percent as soon as next month, following the passage of the Council of Agriculture’s (COA) amendments to the Regulatory Standards for Animal Farms’ Primary Facilities (畜牧場主要設施設置標準).
The amendments introduce regulations on how big quail coops should be after the council previously said quails would be considered a kind of poultry.
Considering the trend toward renewable energy, the amendments state that livestock buildings with rooftop solar panels can be bigger than previously allowed, council officials said.
Photo: Yang Chin-cheng, Taipei Times
The government’s green energy policy hopes to lead to 20 gigawatts (GW) of energy generation, and rooftop solar panels are expected to contribute 6GW, they said.
The council said it is encouraging farmers to install solar panels on roofs of buildings that house livestock.
Of the 15,702 registered livestock buildings, 3,017 have solar panels on their roofs, the council said, adding that it expects all livestock buildings in Taiwan to have solar panel rooftops by 2025.
COA Department of Animal Industry Deputy Director Chiang Wen-chuan (江文全) on Saturday said that while farmers are willing, renewable energy installations on farms must take Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) feeder lines distribution into consideration.
Many livestock facilities in rural areas often do not have feeder lines in their vicinity, he said.
The council is discussing with Taipower about setting up more feeder lines, he added.
Chiang said the amendment also bans the use of battery cages for ducks.
Multilevel cages must not exceed three stories and should conform with regulations on the maximum space they can occupy, he said.
While fewer than 30 farms in the nation use cages to keep ducks, the council hopes to keep abreast of international trends, with the EU banning battery cages and other countries leaning toward reducing their numbers, Chiang said.
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