Public Call for 'Smart Livestock Complex' Development Project: 6.25 Billion Won in State Funding Over Four Years

Project Applications Open to Local Governments Until June 18
At Least One Site to Be Selected This Year
Redevelopment of Areas Dense with Outdated Livestock Farms Also Permitted

The public offering for the Smart Livestock Complex Development Project, which provides national funding for both the establishment of essential infrastructure such as roads and electricity for smart livestock information and communication technology (ICT) pilot complexes and the installation of a big data control center, is set to begin.

On March 17, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced that it will accept applications from local governments for the 2026 Smart Livestock Complex Development Project until June 30, with plans to select at least one site for support.

Joint milking parlor of the No. 1 Smart Livestock Complex (Dairy Complex, Dangjin, Chungnam), completed in 2025. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

The Smart Livestock Complex project supports the creation of necessary infrastructure to relocate and modernize livestock farms that are outdated or situated near residential areas—thus hindering the local living environment—to regions better suited for animal husbandry. Launched in 2019, the first smart livestock complex was completed in 2025 at the Dangjin Smart Dairy Complex in Chungnam (dairy cattle, 13.9 hectares). Currently, similar projects are underway in Goseong, Gyeongnam (swine), Goheung, Jeonnam (Korean beef cattle), Nonsan, Chungnam (swine), and Damyang, Jeonnam (Korean beef cattle).

For this round of the Smart Livestock Complex Development Project, the size requirements for complexes have been relaxed to 3–30 hectares, allowing for the inclusion of diverse land use statuses and spatial utilization plans of each region. In addition to establishing new sites, the redevelopment of regions with a concentration of old livestock farms is now permitted. Furthermore, city, county, and district governments are encouraged to designate the completed complexes as livestock districts under the Rural Space Restructuring Act, thereby strengthening the maintenance and management of livestock-related facilities.

Lee Jaesik, Director General for Livestock Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, "Smart Livestock Complexes are highly public-spirited projects that contribute to increasing productivity in the livestock industry, enhancing odor and disease control, and improving the rural living environment by relocating outdated and scattered livestock farms." He added, "We ask for the active interest and participation of local governments seeking the co-prosperity of the livestock industry and their regions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.