Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to Improve Half of 2,000 Regulations with 'Burden of Proof System'

Revision of 76 Laws... 975 out of 1,986 Regulatory Tasks Under Jurisdiction Being Revised
Regulations of 6 Public Institutions Including Nong-eochon Gong to Be Revised by Second Half of the Year

Smart Farm Innovation Valley in Sangju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do. (Photo by Asia Economy DB)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 13th that it plans to revise half of nearly 2,000 regulatory tasks this year by applying the 'burden of proof system,' which improves regulations if it cannot explain why they are necessary.

The ministry stated that it will revise 76 laws, including the "Act on the Distribution and Price Stabilization of Agricultural and Fishery Products" (Agricultural Products Act). It plans to improve 975 cases (49.1%) out of 1,986 regulatory tasks under its jurisdiction. The improvements will focus on agriculture, food, livestock, income preservation, and disease and safety management sectors. Last year, 73 cases (7.2%) out of 1,011 were improved, and this year the ministry aims to increase the improvement rate.

In particular, the ministry plans to fully commit to regulatory improvement through the burden of proof system. Through this, it intends to promote new industries and services such as fostering and supporting non-face-to-face and online industries. Initiatives include establishing an online wholesale trading system for agricultural and livestock products, activating online education in the agriculture and food sector, simplifying farmer certification through the construction of agricultural food MyData, and expanding online issuance of electronic export quarantine certificates for agricultural products.

Last year, 95 laws in areas such as public life and regional development were revised using the burden of proof method. Among 1,011 regulatory tasks, 73 cases (7.2%) were improved, and among 28 proposals from citizens and companies, 8 cases (28.6%) were improved. A representative example is allowing the issuance of agricultural management registration certificates at nearby eup/myeon/dong community service centers.

Six public institutions under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, including Korea Rural Community Corporation, Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), and Korea Racing Authority, are also reviewing the application of the burden of proof system and plan to revise regulations. Last year, they identified 35 regulations and 96 provisions that were practically equivalent to regulations by institution, and plan to revise them by the second half of this year.

Yoon Wonseup, Policy Planning Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "We will listen to the voices from the agriculture and food industry field, continuously identify unreasonable or excessive regulations from the perspective of citizens and companies, and promptly improve them."