Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Promoting High-Quality Development of Animal Husbandry

Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Promoting High-Quality Development of Animal Husbandry
Guobanfa [2020] No. 31

People's Governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government; and all ministries, commissions, and institutions directly affiliated with the State Council:

Livestock farming is a vital industry closely tied to national economic stability and people's livelihoods, with meat, eggs, and dairy products serving as essential staples in households' "vegetable baskets." In recent years, China's livestock sector has steadily strengthened its overall production capacity, playing a crucial role in safeguarding national food security, boosting rural economies, and helping farmers and herders increase their incomes. However, the industry still faces significant challenges, including low-quality and inefficient development, an incomplete support and protection system, and limited resilience against various risks. To promote high-quality growth in livestock farming and comprehensively enhance the ability to ensure a stable supply of animal products, the following opinions are hereby put forward, with the approval of the State Council.

I. General Requirements

(1) Guiding Principles: Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will fully implement the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Second, Third, and Fourth Plenary Sessions of the 19th Central Committee. We will earnestly carry out the decisions and deployments of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, firmly embrace the new development philosophy, and take the rural revitalization strategy as our guiding framework. Centered around the structural reform of the agricultural supply side, we will shift our development model, strengthen technological innovation, enhance policy support, and reinforce legal safeguards. This will accelerate the establishment of a modern system for livestock breeding, animal disease prevention, and processing & distribution, continuously improving the quality, efficiency, and competitiveness of the livestock industry. Ultimately, we aim to create a new high-quality development paradigm characterized by efficient production, safe products, resource conservation, environmental friendliness, and effective regulation—thus better meeting the diverse consumption needs of the public for livestock and poultry products.

(II) Basic Principles.

Adhere to market-driven principles. Guided by market demand, fully leverage the decisive role of the market in resource allocation, remove unreasonable barriers that hinder the development of animal husbandry, and boost the sector's vitality.

Prioritize disease prevention above all else. Treat animal disease control as the first line of defense against risks in the livestock industry and to prevent zoonotic diseases, focusing on strengthening both the prevention workforce and institutional capacity. Ensure that both government authorities and market players fulfill their respective responsibilities in disease control, fostering a collaborative effort to effectively safeguard public health and agricultural sustainability.

Adhere to green development. Integrate considerations of resource and environmental carrying capacity, the ability to ensure livestock and poultry product supply, and the capacity for resource utilization of farming waste, collaboratively advancing livestock farming alongside environmental protection to foster sustainable development.

Adhere to policy guidance. Better leverage the role of government, optimize regional planning, strengthen policy support, and accelerate efforts to address the shortcomings and weaknesses in livestock development. At the same time, enhance market regulation to ensure a stable and sufficient supply of livestock products.

(III) Development Goals: The overall competitiveness of the livestock industry will steadily improve, while animal disease prevention and control capabilities will be significantly strengthened. At the same time, green development levels will rise markedly, and the ability to ensure a secure supply of livestock and poultry products will be greatly enhanced. By 2025, the self-sufficiency rate for pork will remain around 95%, beef and mutton will stay at approximately 85%, and milk production will maintain a self-sufficiency rate above 70%. Additionally, poultry meat and egg production will achieve near-complete self-sufficiency. By 2030, the scale of livestock farming is expected to reach over 75%, with comprehensive utilization rates of livestock manure exceeding 85%.

2. Accelerate the Development of a Modern Farming System

(Four) Strengthen the breeding and promotion of superior livestock and poultry varieties. Continue implementing the Livestock and Poultry Genetic Improvement Program and the Modern Seed Industry Enhancement Project, while refining the industry-academia-research collaborative breeding mechanism. Focus on tackling key challenges in breeding white-feathered broiler chickens, advancing the localized selection and breeding of lean-meat-type pigs, and accelerating the development of specialized breeds for cattle and sheep—gradually boosting the self-sufficiency rate of core breeding stock. Additionally, roll out subsidies for high-quality swine breeds and livestock breeds in pastoral areas to speed up the adoption and application of superior varieties. Strengthen the conservation of livestock and poultry genetic resources by enhancing the infrastructure of national and provincial-level breeding farms, reserves, and gene banks, ensuring that local breed resources are fully protected and systematically developed whenever possible.

(5) Strengthen the feed and forage supply system. Implement grain-to-feed conversion tailored to local conditions, expand the cultivation of silage corn, and enhance the self-sufficiency rate of critical forages such as alfalfa and oat grass. Simultaneously, explore and develop new forage resources like hybrid mulberry trees and silkworm-fed mulberry, while promoting specialized production of feed and forage. Strengthen the construction of processing, distribution, and logistics systems for feed and forage. Encourage the efficient utilization of non-grain feed resources, including crop residues. Establish and improve a comprehensive database on the nutritional value of feed ingredients, and widely promote precision feed formulation and advanced processing technologies. Accelerate the development and application of bio-based feeds, and foster the research, development, and commercialization of innovative, safe, and highly effective feed additives. Finally, optimize and adjust feed formulation strategies to reduce reliance on corn and soybean meal while promoting their sustainable substitution.

(6) Enhance the mechanization level of animal husbandry. Develop technical specifications for standardized farming facilities and equipment tailored to key livestock and poultry breeds, and promote the integrated application of advanced farming techniques with state-of-the-art machinery and infrastructure. Implement agricultural machinery purchase subsidy policies, ensuring that farm operators can access subsidies—within prescribed limits—for equipment such as automated feeding systems, environmental control devices, disease prevention tools, and waste management solutions. Select and showcase a group of fully mechanized farms and demonstration sites. Additionally, strengthen domestic R&D capabilities in critical areas like feed production, forage processing, and livestock and poultry processing equipment.

(7) Promote moderately scaled operations. Develop large-scale farming tailored to local conditions, guiding farms (and farm households) to upgrade their infrastructure and expand production capacity, while enhancing the level of standardized farming practices. Accelerate the growth of specialized farming cooperatives and modern family ranches, encouraging them to collaborate and engage in joint ventures through linkages based on property rights, capital, labor, technology, and products. Additionally, encourage leading livestock and poultry enterprises to take the lead in driving industry development, fostering close partnerships with farming cooperatives and family ranches. These collaborations can be strengthened via unified production, standardized services, coordinated marketing, shared technologies, and co-creation of brands, ultimately forming stable industry alliances. Finally, refine standardized feeding and management protocols for livestock and poultry, and launch initiatives to establish model examples of standardized farming practices.

(8) Support the Development of Small- and Medium-Sized Farmers. Strengthen guidance and assistance for small- and medium-sized farmers, ensuring that no forced removals occur through administrative measures. Encourage new agricultural business entities to establish mutually beneficial partnerships with small- and medium-sized farmers, helping them adopt specialized production practices and enhancing their market competitiveness. Additionally, bolster the grassroots-level system for promoting livestock and veterinary technologies, improve the socialized service network, and foster the growth of livestock technology service enterprises. These efforts will provide practical, science-based services to small- and medium-sized farmers, including superior breed development, feed nutrition, disease detection, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as mechanized production, product storage and transportation, and the sustainable utilization of farm waste resources. (The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and other relevant departments are responsible according to their respective duties.)

3. Establish and improve the animal disease prevention system

(Fifteen) Enhance the信息化 level of animal husbandry. Strengthen the application of technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, and mobile internet in the livestock industry, boosting intelligent capabilities in areas like barn environment control, precision feeding, animal disease monitoring, and traceability of livestock products. Accelerate the integration of information resources across the livestock sector, promote the digitalization of livestock farming records, and fully implement direct online reporting of production and business information. This will enable closed-loop, end-to-end信息化 management across the entire industry chain. Additionally, support third-party organizations in leveraging information data to provide farms (and individual farmers) with essential services—including technical assistance, marketing support, and financial solutions. (The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission, the National Bureau of Statistics, and other relevant departments are responsible according to their respective duties.)

(10) Enhance capabilities for animal disease prevention and control. Implement the responsibility of local governments at all levels for epidemic prevention and control within their jurisdictions, and refine inter-departmental coordination mechanisms. Strengthen surveillance and monitoring of major animal epidemics, establishing a system of random sampling inspections at key regions and farm sites. Improve the animal disease information reporting system and reinforce management of epidemic-related data across critical stages such as breeding, slaughtering, processing, and harmless disposal. Perfect the reward and punishment mechanism for epidemic reporting: publicly recognize and commend individuals or organizations that excel in reporting outbreaks, while strictly addressing—through legal and regulatory measures—cases of concealment, underreporting, delayed reporting, or obstruction of others’ efforts to report outbreaks. Enforce mandatory immunization programs for major animal diseases, and establish a tiered management system for farms (and farmers) based on their respective disease prevention and control performance levels. Intensify animal disease prevention efforts at border checkpoints, further enhancing monitoring, testing, early warning, and emergency response capabilities. Vigorously crack down on illegal activities such as illegally purchasing, transporting, selling, or disposing of diseased or dead livestock and poultry; those actions constituting criminal offenses will be prosecuted criminally according to law. (The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Transport, General Administration of Customs, and other departments are responsible according to their respective duties.)

(11) Establish and improve a tiered prevention and control system. Accelerate the implementation of regional prevention and control measures for major animal diseases such as African Swine Fever, strengthen the inter-provincial joint conference mechanism, and ensure coordinated efforts in animal disease management, monitoring of livestock and poultry movements, and market supply. Implement unified planning for designated transport routes for livestock and poultry. Support regions and large-scale farms (or households) that meet the necessary conditions to establish disease-free zones and disease-free communities. Promote the eradication of animal diseases, with a particular focus on breeding farms, prioritizing the elimination of vertically transmitted animal diseases, and establishing a number of demonstration farms serving as models for disease-free operations. (The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Transport, and other relevant departments will be responsible according to their respective duties.)

(12) Enhance the capacity of animal disease prevention and control supervision services. Strengthen the development of animal health teams and implement effective measures to stabilize staffing at the grassroots level. Leverage existing institutional resources to establish robust animal health inspection agencies and animal disease prevention and control centers, while also bolstering the infrastructure for animal disease testing laboratories, border monitoring stations, inter-provincial highway checkpoints, and regional disinfection centers. Launch a special appointment program for township-level animal health professionals in major pig-producing counties. Ensure that village-level animal health workers receive fair compensation for their services. Fully harness the roles of licensed veterinarians and rural veterinarians, supporting them in carrying out animal disease prevention and treatment activities. Encourage large-scale farming enterprises, as well as veterinary drug and feed manufacturers, to form dedicated animal health service teams, offering comprehensive "one-stop" and customizable "menu-style" prevention and control services. (The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Central Organization Department, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, and other relevant departments will be responsible according to their respective duties.)

4. Accelerate the development of a modern processing and distribution system

(13) Enhance the overall standards of the livestock and poultry slaughtering and processing industry. Continue to drive the transformation and upgrading of the hog slaughter industry, encouraging local areas to establish or renovate large-scale, self-operated slaughtering enterprises while accelerating the closure, consolidation, and relocation of smaller slaughterhouses. Launch initiatives to create standardized demonstration models for hog slaughtering and implement a tiered management system for hog slaughterhouses. Encourage large-scale livestock and poultry farming and processing companies to adopt integrated operations spanning breeding, slaughtering, processing, distribution, and sales, thereby boosting the development of high-value-added meat products and improving the comprehensive utilization of by-products. Additionally, promote the introduction of local regulations to standardize the management of cattle, sheep, and poultry slaughtering. (The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission, and other relevant departments will be responsible according to their respective duties.)

(Fourteen) Accelerate the establishment of a sound cold-chain processing and distribution system for livestock and poultry products. Guide livestock and poultry slaughtering and processing enterprises to relocate toward major production areas, promoting on-site slaughter to minimize long-distance transportation of live animals. Encourage these enterprises to invest in refrigeration facilities such as cooling warehouses and low-temperature cutting workshops, as well as equip themselves with cold-chain transportation vehicles. Support logistics and distribution companies in enhancing their cold-chain delivery networks and expanding sales channels, thereby facilitating the shift from transporting live animals to distributing processed meat products. Meanwhile, standardize the management of cross-regional live animal transport and refine the "point-to-point" transportation system. Finally, promote safe and healthy consumption of livestock and poultry products, gradually increasing the share of chilled and fresh meat consumed. (The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Commerce, and other departments will be responsible according to their respective duties.)

(Fifteen) Enhance the信息化 level of animal husbandry. Strengthen the application of technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, and mobile internet in the livestock industry, boosting intelligent capabilities in areas like barn environment control, precision feeding, animal disease monitoring, and traceability of livestock products. Accelerate the integration of information resources across the livestock sector, promote the digitalization of livestock farming records, and fully implement direct online reporting of production and business information. This will enable closed-loop, end-to-end信息化 management across the entire industry chain. Additionally, support third-party organizations in leveraging information data to provide farms (and individual farmers) with essential services—including technical assistance, marketing support, and financial solutions. (The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission, the National Bureau of Statistics, and other relevant departments are responsible according to their respective duties.)

(Sixteen) Strategically leverage both international and domestic markets and resources. Expand the range of countries and product varieties from which meat is imported, while moderately increasing imports of high-quality, safe livestock and poultry products to supplement and balance domestic market supply. Steadily advance overseas investment and cooperation in the livestock sector, tapping into diverse global markets to boost exports of competitive livestock and poultry products. Deepen international exchanges by strengthening efforts to introduce advanced facilities, equipment, and superior genetic resources, and collaborate on joint research initiatives focused on animal vaccines. (The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Commerce, the General Administration of Customs, and other relevant departments will be responsible according to their respective duties.)

5. Continuously promote green and circular development in the livestock industry

(17) Vigorously promote the resourceful utilization of livestock and poultry farming waste. Support eligible counties (cities, districts, and banners) to comprehensively advance the resource recovery of livestock and poultry manure across entire administrative areas, and encourage the mechanized application of liquid manure fertilizers. Farms (households) that fully return livestock and poultry manure to farmland for agricultural use will be subject to registration-based management, eliminating the need to apply for wastewater discharge permits. Additionally, refine standards for the fertilizer-based utilization of livestock and poultry manure, and provide support for farmer cooperatives, family farms, and other entities to incorporate manure into their crop production practices. Meanwhile, coordinate and integrate the harmless treatment of deceased pigs, cattle, sheep, and poultry, improve market-oriented operational models, establish reasonable subsidy guidelines, and enhance the insurance linkage mechanism. (The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, and other relevant departments will be responsible according to their respective duties.)

(18) Promote integrated agro-pastoral circular development. Strengthen coordinated planning between agriculture and animal husbandry, making livestock farming a key focus for agricultural structural adjustment. In agricultural regions, advance the integration of crop and livestock production by encouraging the establishment of agro-pastoral circular livestock farms (or households) around large-scale planting bases. This will facilitate the return of manure and fertilizers to farmland while enhancing the feed utilization of agricultural by-products. In agro-pastoral transition zones, make comprehensive use of resources such as forage grasses and crop residues to develop grass-fed livestock industries, while intensifying ecological restoration efforts in degraded grasslands to restore and boost grassland productivity. In grassland pastoral areas, adhere firmly to the principle of "grass-based livestock management," ensuring the scientific and rational use of grasslands. Encourage the growth of family-based ecological ranches and eco-pastoral cooperatives. Meanwhile, in southern regions characterized by grassy hills and slopes, prioritize grassland improvement and artificial pasture cultivation, tailoring strategies to local conditions to promote sustainable cattle and sheep farming. (The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, and other relevant departments are responsible according to their respective duties.)

(19) Comprehensively enhance the level of green livestock farming. Scientifically plan livestock and poultry breeding operations to ensure that farm sizes align with local resource and environmental conditions. In water-scarce regions, prioritize the development of low-water-consuming livestock species such as sheep, poultry, and rabbits. Meanwhile, in areas facing tight land availability, implement integrated measures to maximize land-use efficiency in the livestock industry. Strictly enforce safety guidelines for the use of feed additives, and strengthen regulatory oversight—through legal frameworks—to prevent issues like excessive copper and zinc supplementation in animal feed. Intensify comprehensive management of veterinary antimicrobial drugs by launching initiatives such as monitoring bacterial resistance in animals, phasing out medicated feed additives, and reducing the overall use of veterinary antibiotics. Finally, establish a green development evaluation system for the livestock sector and promote the adoption of complementary green-farming technologies. (The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and other relevant departments will be responsible according to their respective duties.)

6. Supporting Measures

(20) Strictly implement the provincial-level overall responsibility system and the "Vegetable Basket" mayors' accountability system. The People's Governments of all provinces (autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government) shall bear full responsibility for developing livestock production and ensuring the market supply of meat, eggs, and dairy products within their respective regions. They are tasked with formulating development plans, strengthening policy measures, and ensuring that no restrictions on livestock farming exceed the bounds set by laws and regulations. Additionally, enhance the performance evaluation of the "Vegetable Basket" mayors' accountability system. Encourage major consumer provinces to explore innovative approaches—such as resource and environmental compensation or cross-regional cooperation in establishing breeding facilities—to support key production provinces in boosting livestock and poultry production, thereby fostering a long-term mechanism where consuming regions compensate producing regions. (The National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and other relevant departments will be responsible according to their respective duties.)

(21) Ensure land availability for livestock development. In line with the goals of livestock development planning and in conjunction with local land and spatial planning initiatives, comprehensively support and address the land needs for livestock and poultry farming. Land designated for farming operations—as well as agricultural facilities directly related to livestock activities, such as manure management, inspection and quarantine, cleaning and disinfection, and harmless disposal of dead animals—may utilize general farmland without being subject to the requirement of balancing land use with compensation. In principle, permanent basic farmland should not be used for livestock infrastructure; however, if a small amount of permanent farmland is unavoidably required, its use may be permitted under strict conditions, followed by mandatory reallocation of equivalent land elsewhere. Additionally, strengthen forestland policies to further support livestock development, ensuring that all procedures for using forestland are carried out in compliance with relevant laws and regulations. Encourage efficient land use practices in livestock farming to maximize land productivity and sustainability.

(22) Strengthen fiscal support and financial services. Continue implementing the reward policy for major counties that significantly export live pigs, cattle, and sheep. Support the development of socialized animal disease prevention services through government procurement of services. Roll out preferential policies on water and electricity usage for large-scale livestock and poultry farming, as well as for primary processing of livestock and poultry products. Leverage existing channels such as central government fiscal transfers to bolster efforts in establishing standardized pig-slaughtering facilities and building robust cold-chain logistics systems for livestock and poultry products. Financial institutions should actively explore and promote mortgage loans secured by land-use rights, livestock housing facilities, and large-scale farming equipment. In regions where conditions permit—such as those with established mechanisms for live-asset collateral registration and transfer—financial institutions are encouraged to cautiously and steadily pilot live-animal collateral lending programs, adhering to market-oriented principles and maintaining strict risk controls. Vigorously advance livestock insurance coverage, encouraging local governments with the necessary resources to independently launch pilot programs for income insurance and price insurance on livestock products, gradually expanding coverage nationwide. Additionally, attract private capital to establish industry-specific investment funds focused on livestock production and technology-driven venture funds dedicated to agricultural innovation.

(23) Strengthen market regulation. Leveraging modern information technology, enhance dynamic tracking and monitoring of livestock production and livestock product markets, ensuring timely and accurate information dissemination to guide production and consumption in a more informed manner. Refine the government’s mechanism for regulating pork reserves, helping to mitigate the cyclical fluctuations in hog production and market prices. Localities should, as needed, develop contingency plans for ensuring supply and stabilizing markets of key livestock products such as beef and mutton. (The National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, and other relevant departments will be responsible according to their respective duties.)

(24) Implement measures to advance the "delegation, regulation, and service" reform. Promote the revision of livestock and veterinary-related laws and regulations to enhance the rule of law in the livestock industry. Streamline procedures for acquiring land used for livestock and poultry farming, as well as approval processes such as environmental impact assessments, animal disease prevention reviews, and import/export inspections of breeding animals and seeds. Reduce processing times, introduce a "one-stop service window," and strengthen ongoing and post-event regulatory oversight. (The Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, General Administration of Customs, and other departments will be responsible according to their respective duties.)

State Council General Office
September 14, 2020

(This document is released for public distribution.)