Pigs 'potty-trained to stop pollution'

Monday, December 14 2009, 13:26 GMT
By Mayer Nissim, Entertainment Reporter

Farmers in southern Taiwan have reportedly been potty-training their pigs as part of a pilot programme to reduce pollution.

The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) plans to encourage the practice and will also introduce a fee on water contamination in 2010, AFP reports.

Chang Chung-tou, a pig farmer in Yunlin county, said: "The pig toilets on my farm help me collect about 95% of all pig waste, making cleaning much, much easier."

An EPA official added: "Apart from Yunlin, we have launched trial pig toilets in Changhua county [in central Taiwan]. We are evaluating the results."

The pig toilets are made by smearing pig waste inside to encourage the animals to use them rather than nearby rivers.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/odd/news/a191320/pigs-potty-trained-to-stop-pollution.html