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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Month-long ban on kitchen waste feeding imposed
A farmer feeds his pigs at a farm in Kaohsiung yesterday. Photo: CNA
SWINE FEVER FEARS: Hog farmers would have to pause feeding with kitchen waste, but would receive subsidies for costlier grain-based feed, the COA said
/ Staff writer, with CNA
The use of kitchen waste as feed on hog farms is to be temporarily suspended next month, the Central Emergency Operations Center for African swine fever told a media briefing yesterday.
Council of Agriculture （COA） Minister Chen Chi-chung （陳吉仲）, who heads the center, said that the term “kitchen waste” refers to leftover meats coming from household foods and food processing companies.
Food waste that does not contain any meat, such as bread crusts, or residue from fruits or vegetables, can still be used by farmers to feed their pigs, he said.
The month-long ban is aimed at preventing African swine fever from reaching the country’s high-value hog farming industry, with farm operators banned from receiving kitchen waste from suppliers starting on Monday, the center said.
Those found with banned kitchen waste at their farms during the suspension would face fines of NT$50,000 to NT$1 million （US$1,790 to US$35,806） based on the Act for Prevention and Control of Infectious Animal Disease （動物傳染病防治條例）, the center said.
Chen said that the government is prepared to subsidize local hog farmers to help cover the costs of switching to grain-based swine feed during the suspension.
A budget of about NT$500 million has been allocated for this purpose, he said.
Taiwan has about 6,400 pig farms, 676 of which use kitchen waste as feed for approximately 430,000 animals.
Chen said that government subsidies of NT$500 per pig would next month be distributed to farmers, who could alternatively claim a one-time payment of NT$2,500 per pig to permanently switch to grain feed.
The council said that as of Thursday, authorities had visited 5,317 grocery stores, restaurants and other establishments that sell Southeast Asian meals and food products to have their meat products tested for the African swine fever virus.
Of 81 items tested, 10 came back positive, the council said.
The spot checks were launched after 71kg of banned imported meat products from Vietnam that had been seized in New Taipei City were last week found to contain the virus.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
