TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taichung Pig Farmers’ Association Executive Secretary Yang Chun-chieh (楊駿杰) on Tuesday asked the agriculture ministry to rethink its plan to fully ban feeding pigs with food waste starting in 2026.
Commercial Times reported Tuesday that the ministry said the ban will take effect in 2026, with a one-year transition period for farmers to switch their operations. Industry groups said they want the ministry to keep commercial food waste as an option because many farms rely on it.
Yang said all regional associations plan to meet officials to sort through the details. He said farmers will comply with the policy but added that the government could start by cutting out household food waste first.
Yang said the government is now paying farmers to set up cooking and monitoring systems. He noted that many Taichung farms have already submitted applications.
He also said farms that pass joint inspections and receive city approval by the end of the year can continue using food waste for one more year, though he worries the rules may change again.
Taichung has 168 pig farms with more than 90,000 pigs, and 38 of them use food waste for feed. Farmers said a sudden ban without good backup plans could leave tons of food waste with nowhere to go.
