Page 31 - 2018 Annual Report Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan

Annual Report 2018 Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan addition, we asked the TARI to organize a “circular agriculture pig-raising special zone planning committee,” which completed planning for pig buildings for a pig-raising special zone of 400,000 head of pigs marketed annually and also produced a handbook for pig buildings that conform to independent biosecurity standards. (3) Promoting the reuse of biogas at pig farms Following the rise of the issue of reducing greenhouse gases worldwide, recently the development of renewable energy and the circular economy have gotten increasing attention, and excrement and urine wastewater at pig farms has come to be seen as a resource. Relevant environmental laws and regulations have been adapted and adjusted, permitting not only a return of pig waste to farmland as a fertilizer ingredient, but also in hopes of substantially reusing the biogas produced in the treatment of excrement and urine wastewater. Because the global warming potential (GWP) of methane, the major component in biogas, is 25 times that of carbon dioxide, if it can be effectively collected and reused or burned to produce electrical power, not only will this increase diversification of energy sources, it will reduce methane emissions, and it can achieve the goal of reducing greenhouse gases while increasing the income of pig farms, thereby achieving several goals at once. Starting in 2018, besides continuing to guide the generation of power using biogas, the COA combined this with guidance of other forms of reuse such as keeping piglets warm. As of the end of 2018, there were about 1.453 million head of pigs involved in biogas reuse, which surpassed the policy target of 1.45 million. Besides combining our guidance resources with the guidance capabilities of industrial groups, the COA continued to use “biogas reuse promotion teams” to make on-the-spot visits and verify the conditions of the pig farm and the willingness of the pig farmer. After that an expert technical services team enters the farm and collects basic data such as the production volume and quality of wastewater and biogas, after which they do matchmaking with energy suppliers based on actual needs. The COA also provides suggestions and overall planning services to farmers who want to do biogas power generation on their own. In terms of the harmonization of laws and regulations, on March 6 of 2018 the COA announced amendments to the “Agriculture Industrial Waste Reuse Management Regulations,” which added “raw materials or burnable materials for renewable energy” to the list of waste items that fall under reuse management. On the 23rd of the same month, we announced amendments to the “Regulations for Examining the Application of Structuring Farming Facilities on Agricultural Land,” 29