Inter-ministerial confirmation: first wave of illegal factories on farmland slated for demolition cut in half from 34 to 17; Changhua County Government: guidance first

The widely watched policy on demolishing illegal factories on farmland reached a cross-ministerial agreement today: after on-site inspections it was confirmed that the first wave of factories to be demolished numbers 17, namely 1 in New Taipei City, 1 in Tainan, 5 in Kaohsiung, 8 in Changhua and 2 in Chiayi. In response to outside doubts that the number of demolitions had been halved, the Council of Agriculture (COA) explained that it took into account existing construction license approvals and new construction after 520, and therefore set its target on the 17 factories with "absolutely no legal documents whatsoever," with the demolition of the entire illegal factory expected to be completed before the end of this year.

Demolishing illegal factories on farmland, first wave targets 17

Using last year's 520 as the dividing line, the Executive Yuan recently announced that illegal factories would be demolished as soon as they are reported, in order to stop illegal use from happening again and again, but how many would actually be demolished? How to resolve the friction between the central and local governments has always been a key concern of the outside world. In response, the COA convened another cross-ministerial meeting today to take stock of and confirm the targets of the first wave of demolitions.

1 in New Taipei, 1 in Tainan, 8 in Changhua, 5 in Kaohsiung, 2 in Chiayi

Tsai Sheng-fu, director of the Department of Planning, said the first wave of demolitions targets 17 illegal factories on farmland across Taiwan. Facing outside doubts that the number of demolitions had shrunk drastically, he explained that since demolition is a fairly strong measure, the related verification must be done very thoroughly, so the cross-ministerial agreement listed only illegal factories that "have no certification documents at all" and whose "facts are clear" on the first-wave demolition list. After confirmation, the plan is 1 in New Taipei City, 1 in Tainan City, 8 in Changhua County, 5 in Kaohsiung City and 2 in Chiayi County, 17 in total, to be carried out by local governments in accordance with the action plan.

As for the remaining factories within the demolition scope, Tsai Sheng-fu said on-site surveys and data comparisons are still needed to confirm discrepancies between the registered construction area and the actual area; only after clarifying questionable scope, procedures and illegal expansions will they be placed on the second-wave demolition list, "so that the demolitions leave no room for complaint."

Demolition completed by the end of this year, to deter operators who still take their chances

As for the demolition schedule and how the measures will be carried out? Tsai Sheng-fu said that once something is confirmed as illegal, the local government will impose a fine of 60,000 to 300,000 yuan on the person responsible and order the party to complete demolition on their own within one month; if after one month the party still has not carried out the demolition, the measures will be strengthened, including cutting off water and electricity and issuing further fines, while requiring the party to complete demolition within one month; if the second deadline still passes without demolition, Tsai Sheng-fu stressed, the government will then step in to force the demolition. Counting from the launch next month, the first wave of demolition actions is expected to be completed "by the end of this year." "The point is not how many factories are demolished, but to deter those who still take their chances and build factories on farmland."

Changhua County Government hits back: "Those built before the 12th of this month will be guided to become legal on site"

Compared with the central government's iron-fisted policy, the local side responded with a tough stance. The Changhua County Government held a press conference today, where Tai Jui-wen, director of the Department of Public Works, spoke. Besides insisting on the principle of "five noes and one absolute," he also stated that the county government does not oppose demolishing illegal factories, but opposes demolition without supporting measures. It therefore decided to conduct visits to illegal farmland factories in New Taipei? no, "newly built before the 12th of this month" and guide them to become legal on site; if they cannot be made legal, demolition will be postponed for 5 years, but illegal farmland factories built after the 12th of this month will absolutely be demolished.

COA: Make all information public, local governments need to shoulder the pressure

With central policies out of sync, how should the COA, which bears the task of demolishing illegal factories, respond? Tsai Sheng-fu replied that the central government indeed lacks legal tools, including the existing Urban Planning Act, Regional Planning Act and Building Act, all of which assign the handling of illegal structures to local authorities, but for years local governments handling illegal structures have always faced funding and local pressure, which is why this time the central government took the lead.

"No money? The central government allocates funds, and demolition expenses are covered by the Agricultural Development Fund; pressure? The list of violations is published by the central government; and if that still doesn't work, prosecutors' investigation units can also step in in accordance with the law," Tsai Sheng-fu said. This is meant to show the COA's sincerity in protecting farmland and solving the problem.

If local governments insist on not demolishing, what can the central government do? Amid widespread expectations, Tsai Sheng-fu admitted that all the central government can currently do is "information disclosure," planning to set up a dedicated webpage section to publish the progress of each county and city, "believing that this way local governments will still feel the pressure."

And with all counties and cities getting moving, "I believe the Changhua County Government still hopes to protect farmland." Therefore the central government will find an appropriate time to communicate and understand with local governments, hoping everyone will work together to solve the problem.

Recovering lost farmland! Farmland production down to only 570,000 hectares | 100,000 hectares of farmland used for non-farming | Public invited to report violations online in September

Latest inventory: 130,000 illegal factories on farmland! COA: Half of newly established illegal factories to be demolished by year-end, farmhouses the next target

Demolish until no one dares build illegal factories on farmland! Lin Chuan declares all 286 new illegal factories will be demolished, progress of each county and city published

Central and local governments at odds over demolition of illegal farmland factories? COA: Absolutely confident of resolving it