The Council of Agriculture (COA) yesterday defended its proposed “plant doctor” bill after the name of the draft legislation came under criticism from Taiwanese physicians.
The bill is key to the prosperity of the nation’s agriculture, and would help farmers obtain scientific advice on using pesticides safely and effectively, COA Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) told reporters at the opening of a new farmer’s market in Taipei.
The name of the legislation is less important than the benefits it would bring, he said, adding that the law would provide a university-business framework for training and certifying plant-health specialists in efforts to facilitate agricultural production.
Photo: Taipei Times files
The council considered using the term “plant care technician,” but that was ruled out after farmers expressed a preference for “plant doctors” for reasons of clarity, Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Deputy Director-General Tsou Hui-chuan (鄒慧娟) said.
The Taiwan Medical Association and Taiwan People’s Party said at a news conference on Friday that officials ignored feedback from medical practitioners, adding that the term “doctor” is used in academia, and that “plant doctor” is non-standard terminology.
Tsou yesterday said that the council did not intend to belittle the medical profession, and believes that it has phrased the bill carefully to avoid giving the impression that experts engaged in plant care are medical practitioners, she said.
The Taiwan Medical Association is trying to “bully the discipline of plant medicine,” said Shiao Shiuh-feng (蕭旭峰), a professor of entomology and plant medicine program director at National Taiwan University.
The public would not be confused by the term “plant doctor,” he said, adding that “plant medicine” is a widely utilized term in universities.
The plant doctors bill, which has been in development for 14 years, was drafted to encourage the training of plant care specialists who act independently of agricultural chemical manufacturers.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔), the convener of the legislature’s Economics Committee, fasted-tracked the bill for committee deliberation after it received multi-party support from lawmakers.
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