Food self-sufficiency rate is only 30 percent; Taiwan Sugar Corporation land is the last line of defense; calls for environmental impact assessments not to be relaxed
By the Citizens of the Earth Foundation and the joint civil society statement
Media reports say the Executive Yuan held the second meeting of "Accelerating Investment in Taiwan" on the 11th, and the National Development Council is deliberating whether to relax the Taiwan Sugar Corporation land development rule of "no environmental impact assessment required for projects under 1 hectare" to 10 hectares. We believe the National Development Council is ignoring Taiwan's food shortage crisis and treating Taiwan Sugar's prime farmland as an industrial land cash machine, a complete reversal and an irresponsible act, and we strongly demand that the National Development Council withdraw the proposal!
Food self-sufficiency rate down to only 30 percent; Taiwan Sugar land is the last line of defense
Taiwan Sugar land was the prime farmland with the most fertile soil, the most regular plots, and the most complete irrigation and drainage channels in all of Taiwan, forcibly expropriated by the Japanese colonial regime from Taiwanese farmers. When the Nationalist government came to Taiwan and took over the Japanese government's assets, it established the "state-owned enterprise Taiwan Sugar Corporation" to manage Taiwan Sugar land. Therefore, Taiwan Sugar land truly belongs to all the people of Taiwan. Especially today, when Taiwan's food self-sufficiency rate is down to only 30 percent, Taiwan Sugar land is the last line of defense for national food security under extreme climate conditions. It is not the private land of the Taiwan Sugar Corporation, nor is it the pocket land of any political regime, and it cannot and should not be easily sold off or leased out cheaply to become a reward for industry.
The cautionary tale of Xinyuan Farm: evading environmental assessment to develop a high-pollution metal industrial park
In 2012, the Citizens of the Earth Foundation received a tip that the Taiwan Sugar Xinyuan Farm in Luzhu District, Kaohsiung, was to be developed into a high-pollution metal industrial park. Investigation found that six private metal and chemical factories had obtained lease rights to Xinyuan Farm. However, the contiguous development area had already reached 60.1 hectares, yet a joint environmental impact assessment could not be carried out, because the six companies were treated as six independent development projects; and four of the factories used areas of 9.8 hectares, 9.4 hectares, 6.2 hectares, and 5.1 hectares respectively to evade the rule that "non-urban land exceeding 10 hectares must undergo environmental impact assessment."
In addition, because Xinyuan Farm is upstream of a total of 2000 hectares of special agricultural zone in Luzhu and Alian and 1200 hectares of aquaculture zone in Hunei, once it is developed into a large-scale industrial park, the downstream problems of frequent flooding and irrigation water pollution will worsen further, and it will also drive satellite factories to encroach on neighboring private farmland. Therefore, the development of Xinyuan Farm is by no means merely the loss of one piece of Taiwan Sugar land; it will plunge the agricultural and livestock land of the entire vast region into a predicament of destruction and degradation. Yet because of the inadequacy of the environmental impact assessment system, companies have loopholes to exploit, and not even an environmental impact assessment needs to be done.
Solemn appeal: Taiwan Sugar farmland development must not be looser than "special agricultural zones"
We believe: Taiwan Sugar's land zoning should be re-examined, and Taiwan Sugar farmland suitable for farming must not be looser than special agricultural zones in terms of permitted use items or environmental impact assessment rules.
We look to Premier Lai Ching-te to review and reflect on the mistakes of the DPP's first term in office, and demand that the National Development Council stop this deliberation.
Joint statement organizations: Erren River Guardian Alliance, Dagangshan Humanities Association, Tainan City Community College Research and Development Association, Tainan Community College, Citizens of the Earth Foundation, Wilderness Protection Association Kaohsiung Branch, Kaohsiung City Qieding Sampan Raft Association, Kaohsiung City Wild Bird Society, Kaohsiung City Luzhu District Environmental Protection Promotion Association, Xinyuan Farm Environmental Self-Rescue Association, Environmental Law Practitioners Association, Environmental Rights Protection Foundation.
(The above organizations include civil society groups that have protected Xinyuan Farm since 2012, promoted environmental impact assessment of Taiwan Sugar land, and still assist farmers and fishermen in administrative litigation today)