The funding for a Ministry of Education program to deliver fresh milk to schools is set to rise to NT$1.5 billion (US$46.7 million) next year, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said yesterday.
Cheng made the remarks in a report on the progress of the policy at the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee.
Nine cities and counties, including Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, have delivered milk orders to schools, data published on Friday showed.
Photo: Taipei Times file
The Executive Yuan approved NT$710 million for the Ministry of Agriculture this year for the program, which is set to more than double next year to NT$1.5 billion, Cheng said.
Next year’s budget would also be split evenly between the ministries, with the government collaborating with local governments to adjust the budget as needed, he added.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜) said that many countries and regions, such as Canada, Europe, Japan and the US, provide or subsidize milk for students.
Based on projected twice-a-week deliveries next year, 20,000 tonnes of dairy products would be needed, which only account for 4 percent of domestic production, she said.
It is clear that the goal of this policy is not to harm Taiwan’s dairy industry, but rather to provide students with nutritious meals and support domestic fresh milk producers, she said.
Many parents have expressed hope that the policy can eventually be rolled out to all kindergartens, elementary schools and middle schools, she said.
In places where the government already provides dairy products to students, the ministries should collaborate to revise the policy to promote food and agriculture education, she added.
The policy has good intentions, but it should be implemented carefully to avoid burdening teachers with more responsibilities, DPP Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wan Mei-ling (萬美玲) said that with 77 percent of schools using extended shelf-life (ESL) milk, the policy’s slogan of “fresh milk for every class” has become “ESL milk for every class.”
Instead, students could be issued fresh milk coupons to reduce schools’ need to invest in refrigeration and storage, she said.
Cheng said that although the coupons had previously been considered, they are imperfect solutions, as some students are unable to purchase fresh milk themselves.
KMT Legislator Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷) said that three weeks into the school year, many students still do not have milk, and questioned whether the agriculture ministry took precedent over the education ministry.
Cheng said the policy is a result of cross-ministerial collaboration, focused on improving the health of students, and the central and local governments are already working together to adjust it.
KMT Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) said that in Japan, schools have included milk in their lunches for more than 10 years, and where schools lack a refrigerated supply chain, they must use ESL milk.
He added that the policy has had negative effects such as increasing waste from straws.
The new policy is trying to destroy the domestic dairy industry by allowing imports of “fake” fresh milk, Ko said.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Tu Wen-jane (杜文珍) said that the ministry’s position is the same as dairy farmers’.
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