Agriculture and Food Agency Announces First Wave of Friendly Farming Promotion Groups: Five Violations Means Expulsion

To promote friendly farming, after days of review by agricultural authorities, the Agriculture and Food Agency recently announced the first wave of "friendly farming promotion groups," including four organizations: the Tzu Chi Foundation, Xizhou Shangshui Agricultural Products, the Indigenous Peoples College Promotion Association, and the Yilan Xingjian Organic Production Cooperative, which will become one of the main forces driving friendly farming in the future. However, with the system just launched, are the review mechanism and subsequent oversight of friendly agricultural products complete? How can more people be encouraged to apply and further expand the scope of friendly farming? The Agriculture and Food Agency emphasizes that there is still room for improvement.

What is a friendly farming promotion group? The Agriculture and Food Agency explains that, considering that each school of friendly farming has its own set of operating methods, friendly agriculture registered promotion groups are first asked to register their own farming method characteristics, member audit standards, and member farmers' farmland cultivation and production data. After review and announcement by the government's "Friendly Agriculture Review Panel," approved and recognized friendly agriculture promotion groups then self-manage their member farmers.

If a friendly agriculture group passes review, the government not only provides direct environmental subsidies for member farmers' land, but also subsidizes equipment and materials needed for production and processing, such as machinery, greenhouse and net house facilities, and organic fertilizers, while also assisting with farmer education and training and promoting farming methods.

Agriculture and Food Agency: Friendly farming area has reached 2-3 thousand hectares

To encourage farmers to move toward sustainable agriculture, the Council of Agriculture increased its budget to about 1.3 billion this year, and on May 5 announced the "Friendly Environment Farming Promotion Group Review Guidelines" and the "Organic and Friendly Environment Farming Subsidy Guidelines," setting an incentive of up to 90,000 yuan per hectare to attract conventional farmers to transition.

In response, Weng Zhenxin, chief secretary of the Agriculture and Food Agency, pointed out that since the country already has diverse friendly or natural farming methods such as KKF, CGNF, biodynamic farming (BD farming), the Green Conservation Label, and second-party participatory guarantee systems (PGS), with a cultivated area of 2 to 3 thousand hectares, "now is the best time for transition." Therefore, all sectors are encouraged to apply to become friendly farming groups, but they must first clearly plan for pesticides, fertilizers, cultivation methods, and goals.

Groups that fail to pass can submit supplementary documents again

In addition, Weng also said that among the seven applications this time, four passed, while most of the remaining unapproved ones did not understand the application process or lacked complete planning. In this regard, cooperation has already begun with the Agricultural Training Association, hoping that through courses and instruction, farmers and groups willing to engage in friendly farming can improve their proposals and successfully pass the application. The Agriculture and Food Agency will also give previously unapproved groups another chance to submit supplementary documents, and five applications have already accumulated for the next stage.

How to ensure pesticide safety? Friendly farming promotion groups: routine inspections combined with random spot checks

As for how promotion groups can effectively carry out cultivation management to avoid illegal pesticide use? Chen, the field record administrator of Xizhou Shangshui Agricultural Products Co., Ltd., one of the first wave of promotion groups, emphasized that they have long promoted friendly farming methods. At present, they have a total of 19 cooperating farmers and focus on local production and local sales. Therefore, in terms of group auditing, they already have a set of methods for regulation, including confirming the separation of irrigation and drainage areas and avoiding contamination from neighboring conventional fields. They also send staff every week to photograph and record field conditions and communicate with farmers. If illegal pesticide use occurs, there will be a fine, and after a certain number of times, the contract will be terminated. So far, implementation has been very good.

Zhuo Shifu, manager of another promotion group, the Yilan County Xingjian Organic Agricultural Production Cooperative in Sanxing Township, Yilan, pointed out that they have produced organically in the past, so they have their own strict management standards. At present, they have 11 cooperating farmers and an area of about eight hectares. They hope that after becoming a friendly promotion group, they can further assist more farmers in transitioning, whether they choose friendly or organic.

Friendly farming promotion groups also have an exit mechanism: qualification revoked after five violations

With assurances from all sides, the promotion of friendly farming appears to have few problems, but Weng Zhenxin, chief secretary of the Agriculture and Food Agency, pointed out that this does not mean no exit mechanism has been established. Therefore, for promotion groups that pass review, if they fail to implement audit management of registered farmers, such as when produced products are found to contain prohibited substances five times cumulatively within one year, the group's review qualification will be immediately revoked, thereby supervising promotion groups and protecting consumer rights.

Who reviews friendly farming groups? Agriculture and Food Agency: a 12-person committee has been invited from all sectors

In addition, Weng Zhenxin also emphasized that agricultural authorities have currently invited experts and scholars from various fields, consumer groups, farmer representatives, experimental research institutions, and administrative agency representatives to form a 12-person review panel responsible for reviewing whether friendly farming groups meet the subsidy guidelines and for establishing the review and management mechanism for farming methods. Regarding outside concerns about the panel's qualifications and recognition procedures, Weng said that personnel adjustments will be made on a rolling basis with a two-year term and that conflict-of-interest avoidance will also be considered, so applicants need not worry.

Friendly Environment Farming Subsidies Start in September, Up to 90,000 per Hectare: How to Operate with Insufficient Promotion Groups?

Council of Agriculture Invests 1.3 Billion to Promote Organic and Friendly Agriculture, Emphasizing "Group Management as the Main Approach, Government Auditing as Supplementary"

Organic and Friendly Environment Farming Subsidy Guidelines

Friendly Environment Farming Promotion Group Review Guidelines

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