After announcing five green agriculture campaigns, experts from Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) answered journalists' questions at a press conference on 9 May 2017 covered by Farmers' Daily. The campaigns are in response to long-term overdraft of the environment and resources in the agriculture sector, said Ye Zhenqin 叶贞琴 MoA spokesperson; the campaigns will be inter-departmental, strategic, and long-term. Controlling agriculture non-point-source pollution has been a top priority since Xi called attention to related problems in 2015, according to Ye, who connected the campaigns with social stability, agricultural profitability, farmer welfare, and supply-side structural reform in the agri-food sector.
Responding to a question on livestock banned areas and rising imports of meat and dairy products, Ma Youxiang 马有祥 MoA animal husbandry department director noted that while scaling up in the livestock sector has benefited safety and efficiency, manure management has not been handled well, creating pollution and separating crop farmers from an important source of organic fertiliser. Ma connected the current campaign on livestock waste management with ongoing work on moving livestock production into North China and away from southern watersheds.
Responding to a question on fertiliser use, Zeng Yande 曾衍德 MoA crop management department director observed that in orchards, Chinese farmers' chemical fertiliser use is twice that of of Japan, six times US levels, and seven times EU levels. The data is similar in vegetable and tea crops, according to Zeng, who further observes that using organic fertiliser from processed livestock waste can improve the flavour and nutrient value of foods grown as well as benefiting the environment.