Over 3,000 More Accidents After Yoon Administration Suspends "Aged Agricultural Machinery Replacement" Project

3.4 Trillion Won in Tax-Free Fuel Subsidies Wasted
Lost Opportunity to Reduce Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gases
Moon Geumjoo: "Project Budget Must Be Restored"

During the period when the "Aged Agricultural Machinery Replacement Project" was suspended under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, the number of work-related injuries involving agricultural machinery among farmers surged by more than 3,000 cases. Although the project resumed this year, as of August, the actual implementation rate remains low and the budget has been drastically reduced.

According to an analysis of audit data submitted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to Assemblyman Moon Geumjoo of the Democratic Party of Korea (representing Goheung, Boseong, Jangheung, and Gangjin in South Jeolla Province) on October 15, the replacement project for aged agricultural machinery was suspended for two years from 2023 to 2024 and resumed this year. The suspension was found to be due to a preliminary feasibility study and a unilateral budget cut by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Moreover, even the budget allocated for this year has been drastically reduced to one-sixth of the amount during the pilot phase, making project implementation difficult. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs also stated in a written response that, despite the Korea Development Institute recognizing the feasibility of a 165.8 billion won budget, the previous administration either did not reflect or reduced the budget, raising questions about the reasons for the project’s suspension.

This project provides subsidies for scrapping or replacing agricultural machinery produced before 2012, contributing to improvements in the rural environment and enhancing farmer safety.

The problem is that the suspension of the project has caused serious side effects in the agricultural sector. In 2023, when the project was suspended, there were 15,976 work-related injuries involving agricultural machinery, an increase of nearly 3,000 cases compared to 12,982 cases in 2021.

According to data from the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, 46.4% of agricultural machinery accidents are caused by mechanical factors, and 60% of mechanical failures are due to aging. Older agricultural machinery is more prone to malfunction and often lacks adequate safety devices, inevitably increasing the accident rate among farmers.

Furthermore, aged agricultural machinery has been identified as a major source of air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. According to a Korea Development Institute study, if 25,600 aged agricultural machines had been scrapped early, 1,049 tons of air pollutants and 40,835 tons of greenhouse gases could have been reduced, but this opportunity was lost due to the project’s suspension.

There have also been criticisms that large-scale tax-free fuel subsidies for low-efficiency aged agricultural machinery are causing unnecessary environmental pollution and tax waste. It is estimated that, from last year to August this year, the tax exemption amount for fuel supplied to aged tractors reached approximately 340 billion won.

Assemblyman Moon emphasized, "Nine provinces, including South Jeolla, possess 95% of the 300,000 aged agricultural machines. To ensure farmer safety and reduce air pollutants and greenhouse gases, it is necessary to swiftly implement the replacement project for aged agricultural machinery and restore the budget that was reduced under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration."