In 2021, the Council of Agriculture (COA) adjusted the standards for the subsidy of local governments to assist farmers through demonstration projects for the prevention and control of Formosan rock macaque from damaging crops. Subsidies will be provided based on the size of farmlands that have an area of 0.2 to 2 hectares. The COA will strive to continue providing this incentive in 2022; furthermore, local governments will hold application meetings in each region and begin accepting applications from April 1. The COA said that since small farmers affected by wildlife crop damage may abandon their crops due to poor harvests, in order to help them prevent damages and increase their willingness to farm, the electric fence installation subsidy launched in 2016 is mainly targeted at small farmers. The eligibility criteria is that each farm area must exceed 0.2 hectares. The government will subsidize the cost of electric fence materials by NT$45,000 per case (NT$30,000 from the central government and NT$15,000 from the local government), and the rest will be paid by the farmers themselves. However, taking into account the needs of farmers with larger farms, the COA agreed in the annual report of the Executive Yuan last year (2021) to adjust the subsidy standards and attained subsidies for farmlands with an area between 0.2 to 2 hectares. These government subsidies range from NT$45,000 to NT$126,000 depending on the size of the area. Taking the maximum subsidized area of 2 hectares as an example, the total cost of materials is about NT$168,000, with the central and local governments providing a total subsidy of NT$126,000 and the farmer bearing NT$42,000. The incentive measure not only benefits small farmers, but also takes into account farmers with larger farmlands, increasing their willingness to set up electric fences to control wildlife damage, instead of using highly harmful traps and poisons, thus balancing the common good for both production and ecosystem. The COA emphasized that overseas data show that the best results in the prevention of wildlife damage are achieved by setting up electric fences around farmlands, which can effectively prevent wildlife damage from animals such as the Formosan rock macaque, wild boar, masked palm civet, deer, Reeves's muntjac, and hares. It can also increase farm yields by 30 to 50% (about NT$50,000 to NT$100,000/hectare), and farmers can recover their out-of-pocket costs in the first year of harvest. Subsidizing electric fence installations will continue to be promoted this year to increase the number of farmers installing electric fences. The COA would like to remind the public that the number of approved subsidies is limited each year, so farmers are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity and apply to local governments as soon as possible.
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