What to do about the pollution problem of factories on farmland? Facing the shelving of the Factory Management Act amendment, agricultural use must still be upheld
The legislative progress of the draft amendment to the Factory Management Assistance Act has not met the executive branch's expectations, and cross-party negotiations on the disputed clauses are currently shelved. Environmental groups continue to protest that the Cabinet's version of the Factory Management Assistance Act lacks a sunset clause, allowing factories to be legalized on the spot and accelerating the fragmentation and disappearance of Taiwan's farmland. Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung rebutted this on the 29th, stressing that the Cabinet's version of the Factory Management Assistance Act is meant to face and solve the long-standing problem of factories on farmland. "Are you kidding! All farmland must be 100 percent used for agriculture, there is no room for compromise," and he asked everyone to "take a good look at Article 28 of the Factory Management Assistance Act."
Chen Chi-chung explained that the draft amendment to the Factory Management Assistance Act has 3 key points. First, factories built on farmland after May 20, 2016, will be demolished immediately upon report. If local governments are negligent and fail to demolish them, the central government will forcefully cut off water and electricity. Second, all factories on farmland will be brought under regulation. If they fail to meet fire safety, environmental safety, water pollution prevention and other requirements within 10 years, they will be unable to obtain specific factory registration and will also face demolition or having their water and electricity cut off. This is the first time in history that the government has addressed the problem of factories on farmland.
Third, medium- and high-pollution factories will be required to relocate from farmland within a deadline. The Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Environmental Protection Administration, and the Council of Agriculture will set counseling schedules with local governments. Medium- and high-pollution factories must move away from farmland within the deadline, which is a great safeguard for public food safety. Chen Chi-chung said that the public has not noticed these 3 legislative contents, and that the draft amendment to the Factory Management Assistance Act is a positive protection for farmland.
How can factories be built on farmland? Therefore, these factories built on farmland are all illegal factories, and the problem has existed for a long time, but whether to demolish them and how to demolish them has often been debated. The Cabinet's version of the draft amendment to the Factory Management Assistance Act has been widely questioned and protested by environmental groups. Environmental groups believe the bill's provisions are very loose, first legalizing factories on the spot, giving illegal factories legal permanent residency, and the next step is a wave of legal buying and selling for speculation. Chen Chi-chung rebutted this, saying that this is the first time in the government's history that it is facing and handling the problem of factories on farmland, and that it can guarantee that farmland will never again be occupied by illegal factories.
For consumers, what they care about most is whether factories on farmland pollute farmland and crops. Chen Chi-chung stressed that the draft amendment stipulates that medium- and high-pollution factories must relocate from farmland, while low-pollution factories may remain only if they improve within the deadline to comply with relevant regulations and obtain specific factory registration.
Chen Chi-chung believes the public has misunderstood the draft amendment to the Factory Management Assistance Act. He asked everyone to read Article 28 carefully. "Are you kidding! All farmland absolutely must be 100 percent used for agriculture, there is no room for compromise. The management of factories on farmland is moving forward. In the future, no more factories will be built on farmland, medium- and high-pollution factories will also have to relocate, and those that fail to obtain farmland factory registration within 10 years will also be cleared out. These 3 points are absolutely positive for protecting farmland."