The Executive Yuan today approved a plan to ban the use of household kitchen waste for pig farming starting next year, which would include a one-year grace period before the full ban is instated in 2027.
During the transition period, pig farmers may continue using kitchen waste under certain conditions, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) told a news conference following the Cabinet meeting today.
The conditions are to include obtaining local government approval, installing systems for monitoring cooking temperatures and video surveillance, equipping transport vehicles with GPS and passing inter-ministerial inspections, the ministry said.
Photo: Taipei Times
The kitchen waste permitted is to be limited to business-generated waste, animal residues and livestock slaughter byproducts, with household kitchen waste strictly prohibited, it said.
Each municipality or county government may announce its own earlier timeline for halting kitchen waste pig farming and related improvements, balancing disease prevention, waste disposal and practical support for affected farmers, it said.
To assist the industry in accelerating the transition, the ministry said it is to provide subsidies for feed conversion and feeding equipment, supporting kitchen waste pig farmers in steadily shifting to feed-based methods to reduce disease risks.
For those transitioning immediately to feed-based pig farming during the buffer period, feed conversion subsidies of NT$3,600 (US$114) per pig would be provided, it said.
In addition, operators continuing to use cooked kitchen waste in compliance with regulations during the buffer period would still qualify for feed conversion subsidies, but at half the amount, NT$1,800 per pig, with other subsidies matching those for immediate transitions to feed-based methods, it said.
Feeding equipment subsidies would depend on farm scale, ranging from NT$300,000 to NT$3 million, it said.
The ministry said it would also provide financial support through interest subsidies on specialized agricultural loans, such as those for livestock industry operations, young farmers starting out and farmer production and marketing groups, with guarantee fees waived within the subsidy limits.
The Ministry of Environment said it has launched four complementary measures: establishing real-time monitoring systems for pig farms, strengthening controls at incinerators, enhancing the capacity of recycling facilities and promoting education on reducing food waste to strengthen kitchen waste reuse management and disposal planning.
Nationwide kitchen waste processing facilities currently face shortfalls, the ministry said.
The ministry is to assist local governments in boosting capacity by optimizing existing recycling facilities and constructing new ones, it said.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) has instructed the agriculture and environment ministries to assist local governments in implementing rigorous control mechanisms and technological tools to ensure that business kitchen waste used during the transition complies with regulations, Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told the news conference.
Kitchen waste pig farming must strictly adhere to cooking requirements to eliminate the threat of African swine fever, Lee quoted Cho as saying during today’s Cabinet meeting.
The construction of kitchen waste recycling facilities should be sped up to handle proper disposal after the full ban, achieving disease prevention and environmental protection, he said.
Cho also directed the MOA to promote transition guidance measures, including feed subsidies, feeding equipment subsidies and necessary technical support, to enhance operators' management capabilities, Lee said.
The ministry should assist the industry in a smooth shift to feed-based pig farming and ensure that the nationwide transition deadline of Dec. 31 next year can be met, Cho said.
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