The Cabinet has approved proposals to upgrade the Council of Agriculture and
the Environmental Protection Agency to stand-alone ministries.

The move is part of a wider government restructuring program.

The plans will now be sent to the Legislature for review.

If passed, the Council of Agriculture will be reformed under the title the
"Ministry of Agriculture," while the Environmental Protection Agency will
become the "Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources."

The government says the proposed restructuring will enable it to better
promote sustainable development and address climate issues.

According to the Cabinet, the new agencies will implement government plans
and policies aimed at tackling climate change and the proposals are in line
with the amendments to the Organizational Act of the Executive Yuan.

Those amendments were passed by the Legislature in 2011 and seek to have the
37 ministries and government agencies currently under the Cabinet merged or
restructured into 29 ministries and agencies.