TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Ministry of Agriculture (農業部) and the Ministry of Education (教育部) plan to provide fresh domestic milk to 1.335 million elementary school children across Taiwan starting in September in a bid to support local dairy farmers. The initiative comes ahead of New Zealand's liquid milk imports reducing to zero tariffs next year.
The Ministry of Agriculture has allocated NT$4.4 billion for a four-year program. Each bottle of fresh milk will receive a subsidy of NT$14. This program aims to supply fresh milk twice a week to elementary school children and affiliated kindergarten students.
Catering service providers have raised logistical concerns. They pointed out that the internal temperature of their thermal vehicles can reach up to 50 degrees Celsius, making it challenging to deliver milk that requires refrigeration at 7 degrees Celsius. They suggested that the awarded dairy suppliers handle the distribution themselves.
Industry experts emphasized the importance of timing when giving milk to students. They advised that students consume fresh or long-life dairy at a time different from their lunch to avoid any difficulties determining whether the issue is with the food or the milk when students get an upset stomach.