Demonstrating National-Security-Level Commitment to Disease Prevention: Yunlin Takes the Lead in Banning Swill Feeding for Pigs

Demonstrating the highest level of commitment to disease prevention, Yunlin County Magistrate Chang Li-shan, immediately after taking office yesterday (the 25th), held a press conference on African swine fever prevention accompanied by Environmental Protection Bureau Director Chang Chiao-wei and Agriculture Department Director Chang Hung-yu, announcing that from that day onward the entire county would ban swill feeding for pigs, and outlining a three-stage swill disposal plan to fully close any gaps in African swine fever prevention and ensure the sustainable operation of the pig farming industry.

Magistrate Chang Li-shan stated that disease prevention knows no blue or green, no party affiliation. To ensure the sustainable development of the county's pig farming industry, Yunlin County took the lead nationwide in announcing that from that day onward swill feeding for pigs would be banned, and disinfectant would be distributed for use by pig farmers throughout the county. Magistrate Chang Li-shan also stated that swill disposal would proceed in three stages: first, swill collected by township offices would be completely banned from use as pig feed; second, swill collected by township offices would be fully composted, converting swill into energy; third, the entire county (including restaurant and other business waste) would be banned from swill feeding for pigs.

Magistrate Chang Li-shan further called out loudly that Yunlin County currently has 1,211 pig farms raising more than 1.46 million pigs, ranking first nationwide in pig numbers. The county government, acting with national-security-level disease prevention measures, took the lead nationwide in implementing a ban on swill feeding for pigs, closing any gaps in African swine fever prevention and representing the county government's extremely high commitment to disease prevention.

Agriculture Department Director Chang Hung-yu also stated that in order to prevent pig farmers from using swill to feed pigs, the county government would cooperate with the central government in providing feed price-difference subsidies, technical consultation and guidance, and assistance with voluntary exit subsidies. Pig farmers who voluntarily leave the industry would receive, in addition to a reward payment, subsidies for barns and wastewater treatment equipment. From January 2 of next year (2019) to March 31 of that year, livestock farmers are asked to apply through their township offices.