Former Deputy Minister of the Council of Agriculture Retires to Grow Vegetables, Raise Fish, and Run a B&B; Luxury Villa Sparks Controversy Over Agricultural Land Use

Sha Chih-yi stated that the house is within the one-tenth ratio, and that the material storage room, the pond and the grain-drying yard all count as agricultural facilities, all of which passed their applications at the time. The pond is stocked with grass carp and black carp, mainly to test water quality, "the pond also counts as one of the items of agricultural facilities."

He said the farmhouse was bought four years ago from a local elderly farmer, and he goes there on Saturdays and Sundays. He originally planned to farm with his wife and children after retirement, and to use the extra rooms as a bed and breakfast. At present he has also planted 4 to 50 ping of fruit trees and vegetables, enough to be self-sufficient.

If the farmhouse is judged to be in violation, Sha Chih-yi said, he will see how the Yilan County Government thinks it should be changed, and will cooperate with corrections according to the inspection.

In response to Sha Chih-yi's "fish farming" claim, the Yilan County Government stated that it will check the landowner's business plan to clarify whether there is any agricultural use, and will also ask the landowner to explain during the formal on-site inspection. "The public is paying close attention to this matter, and we will do it as soon as possible."

This year the Council of Agriculture formulated a new version of the "Regulations for Building Farmhouses on Agricultural Land," clearly stipulating that the builder and the recipient of a farmhouse (excluding inheritance and gifts within second-degree kinship) must have farmers' insurance or Category 3 health insurance (fishery and animal husbandry), or present proof related to agricultural operation. It has already been submitted to the Ministry of the Interior, but has not yet been officially promulgated and implemented.