China wants farms to grow faster

The Ministry of Agriculture wants farms to be bigger, work better. At the National Meeting on Establishment of Standardized Demonstration Farms for Livestock and Poultry Production held in Yichang, Hubei province, the ministry said that by 2015, the proportion of large-scale production of major animals would be raised by 10-15% and the number of standardized farms would account for 50% of the total.
Further productivity would be improved. Animal waste would be treated to reach green standards for discharge or utilized as a resource. The quality and safety of animal products would be substantially upgraded.
The government has invested RMB3 billion (US$451.7 million) to support the establishment and transformation of standardized pig and dairy cattle farms and farming areas. It has also allocated RMB500 million (US$75.28 million) of specialized funds to be offered as rewards instead of subsidies.
Meat Trade News Daily reports the ministry has released the first list of 1,276 standardized demonstration farms.