Government pulls the plug on 'fresh milk for every class' initiative

Taipei, Dec. 19 (CNA) The government's "fresh milk for every class" policy, which launched in September, will be discontinued starting next semester, the Cabinet said Thursday.

Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) made the decision to halt the initiative in light of mixed feedback the government has received from teachers and parents, Cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said at a press briefing.

The four-year, NT$4.4 billion (US$134.8 million) program targeting elementary school students had launched in September with the aim of increasing students' calcium intake and supporting the local dairy industry, as Taiwan prepares to remove tariffs on milk imports from New Zealand in 2025.

From the start, however, the program drew complaints from teachers and administrators about supply shortages, schools' lack of refrigerated storage space, and interruptions caused by the twice-a-week distribution schedule.

As a result, some schools opted instead to give students eight cartons of shelf stable milk once per month.

In a statement issued Thursday, the National Federation of Teachers Unions applauded the Cabinet for being receptive to public opinion and taking action, while also expressing hope that the government had "learned its lesson."

"Good intentions alone do not make for good policy. Governmental departments should not readily turn schools into a political ATM," the federation said.

The NGOs Action Alliance on Basic Education and the John Tung Foundation, however, argued that the policy should have been refined, not cancelled, given that many elementary school-age kids in Taiwan do not get enough calcium.

At the Cabinet's press briefing, Deputy Agriculture Minister Tu Wen-jane (杜文珍) said that in light of the cancellation, she would confer with the dairy industry on how to best make use of the program's remaining budget.

As for local governments, Taipei Department of Education Commissioner Tang Chih-min (湯志民) suggested distributing vouchers instead, which students could exchange for milk at convenience stores when they want.

Meanwhile, Chiayi and Yunlin county governments protested the last-minute cancellation of their subsidies for the program, and urged the central government to reconsider.