The Agriculture Ministry plans to promote demand for domestically produced milk in response to the tariff-free import of New Zealand dairy products beginning in 2025. Acting Agriculture Minister Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) discussed the plan during a meeting of the Legislature’s Economics Committee on Wednesday.
Chen says a four-year plan for Taiwan’s domestic dairy industry will be submitted by the end of the year, which is focused on increasing demand and promoting domestic milk in rural schools. Chen says that the transportation and preservation of fresh milk to rural schools is difficult. The ministry therefore plans to promote the use of domestic shelf-stable milk, also known as long-life milk, in rural schools. The plan also proposes new labeling for dairy products to clearly indicate that are domestically produced.
Chen says that new estimates of total domestic milk production for 2024 are lower than previously thought. He says that about 10% of dairy cows and bulls will be culled in the coming year, which amounts to about 12,000 cows in each category. Chen says the culling will be subsidized at between NT$12,000 to NT$20,000 (US$375 to $625) per cow, though the final figure has not yet been decided.