Pig manure and urine discharged directly cannot be caught by the Environmental Protection Bureau; Xinpi Township takes real action and fines operators

Xinpi Township in Pingtung Sets a First: The Township Office Issues Taiwan's First Fine for Illegal Pig Farm Discharge

When environmental pollution incidents are normally handled, the agencies responsible for inspection and fines are usually the Environmental Protection Administration or the environmental protection bureaus of local county and city governments. Once they face a shortage of manpower and ineffective inspections, affected residents can only throw up their hands and keep enduring it. But the Xinpi Township Office in Pingtung County has set a first for the whole country by joining with ten community development associations from six villages in the township to form an inspection team that monitors wastewater discharge from pig farms in the township. As soon as a violation is found, a fine of 6,000 yuan is immediately issued.

This inspection work began on June 1 of this year. The first three months were a persuasion period, and yesterday (September 8) the first fine was issued. The operator penalized was Yasheng Livestock Farm in Jiangong Village. Yasheng Livestock Farm currently has more than 1,000 pigs, but the pigs' manure and urine wastewater is not treated at all and is discharged directly into the drainage ditch beside the pig farm, causing a very large impact on the local environment.

Xinpi Has a Rare Secret Spring and Does Not Want It Destroyed by Pig Farms

The weather is unstable, with heavy and light rain continuing in various places, and reports of flooding and water accumulation have come in one after another. Pingtung, at the southernmost tip of the country, is one of Taiwan, China's major agricultural counties, and its vast fields look even greener under the rain.

Walking into Jiangong Village in Xinpi Township, most of what comes into view are betel nut trees, with a few farmhouses scattered sparsely on both sides of the road. The village is usually sparsely populated, and whenever it rains, the whole village is so quiet that only the sound of rain remains. Village chief Zhong Zhanxiong said, "Come on, I'll take you to find the spring. Now Jiangong Village has only this one spring left!"

Beside the industrial road from Jiangong Village to Wan'an Community, wild grass grows thickly and miscellaneous trees stand in clusters. This is one of the scenes local elementary school students pass around in ghost stories. Pointing toward the grass and trees, Village Chief Zhong said, "Without someone to guide you, you outsiders would never find the spring. Follow me. Behind the woods is our last pure land!"

Appendix: [Xinpi Township Autonomous Inspection Team Visit SOP]

1. The village chief and community development association actively conduct visits, and once anything is discovered, immediately notify the township office for inspection.
2. From June 1, persuasion is carried out for three months, and from September 1, penalties begin to be imposed.
3. Inspect the drainage conditions of the ditches around the pig farm, with at least three people in a group.
4. Quickly report the visit results or report by phone, with at least one person simultaneously recording audio and video.
5. When reporting to the Environmental Protection Bureau or the Environmental Protection Administration, remember to ask for the case number to facilitate follow-up tracking.
6. Actively contact the media or environmental groups to jointly carry out visits (inspections).