The Environment & Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST) has successfully secured the inclusion of animal welfare in Taiwan’s new Food and Agricultural Education Act, with critical support from legislator Chen Ting-Fei.

An “essential part of food and agricultural education”

While industrialization has made it easier than ever to obtain food, it has also distanced people from its production. Many people have never seen cows, pig or chickens, or are unaware how crops are grown.

In recent years, there have been increasing calls to enhance food and agricultural education to bring the public closer to the food production process. In 2022, the Executive Yuan responded by proposing the Food and Agricultural Education Act to increase the public's understanding of the production and processing of food products, as well as the impacts of agriculture and animal husbandry on environmental sustainability and rural development.

As the world faces growing threats from zoonotic diseases, the connection between public health, environmental sustainability and the conditions animals are farmed is more evident than ever, and institutions from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) to the World Health Organization (WHO) to the European Union are advocating for food systems to integrate the health and welfare of humans, animals and the environment.

Despite these international trends, the initial draft of the Food and Agricultural Education Act omitted the treatment of animals raised for food.

Proposal secures critical support

On December 29, 2021, EAST called for the bill to incorporate animal welfare and sustainable production during its review by the legislature’s Economics Committee. EAST’s proposal was supported by legislator Chen Ting-Fei, who subsequently introduced an amendment to the bill. Minister of the Council of Agriculture, Chen Chi-Chung, also expressed that "animal welfare is an essential part of future food and agricultural education" and agreed it should be included in as an objective under the Act.

The Act was passed on third reading, advancing animal welfare in several regards:

• Article 3: The definition of food and agricultural education was expanded to include animal welfare.
• Article 4, Paragraphs 2, 4 and 5: Policies advocating a deeper connection between diet and agriculture now feature "differences between conventional agriculture and animal-friendly production methods," while ecological sustainability now sits alongside cultivating a balanced diet and passing on and innovating food culture.
• Article 8: The expert committee responsible for promoting food and agricultural education should include representatives from the field of animal welfare.

A special thanks to legislators Chen Ting-Fei, Su Chih-Fen, and Lai Jui-Lung (all DPP) for co-sponsoring the amendment and legislators who supported the amendment. EAST will continue persevere to change the lives of farmed animals.

Why should farmers transition to higher welfare production?

Industrialized farming, which emerged after World War II, developed ways to confine large numbers of animals indoors at high densities, taking advantage of innovations in antimicrobials. Industrialized farming neglects the welfare needs of animals, while contributing to problems including environmental pollution, antibiotic resistance, zoonoses and the loss of biodiversity.

 

Around the world, a growing number of countries have enacted regulations to safeguard the welfare of farmed animals. Taiwanese authorities have also responded by enacting guidelines for higher welfare production systems including laying hens (2015), pigs (2008), and dairy cattle (2020). However, Taiwan is yet to enshrine mandatory protections for farmed animal welfare in industry-relevant legislation.

Translated by Huang Bo-Hao (黃博顥)