A goat farmer from Pu county, North China's Shanxi Province has been living with his animals in a remote mud hut in the mountains for nearly a month after the local government banned residents from grazing their animals.

On July 11, Chen Qi decided to drive his flock and his whole family into the mountains after he received a bulletin from the Pu county government in June that demanded that the county be sheep- and goat-free within 10 days and threatened violators with hefty fines, China Youth Daily reported Monday.

"I cannot bear it any more, the goats stink and the roof leaks when it rains. We are basically living in mud," Chen told the media after spending 26 days in the mountains, adding that due to the lack of water the health of his 150 goats is suffering.

As a result of the bulletin, about 24,000 of the county's 27,000 goats have either been sold cheaply or moved outside the county.

"Sheep used to sell for 800 yuan ($120) per head, now they go for less than 300 yuan," said Xi Quanbao, a local shepherd.

"I cannot sell them now, not until autumn," said Chen, adding that the price will have risen by then.

According to Zhang Qiang, deputy director of the local forestry bureau, Pu county is part of the Lüliang Mountain ecologically vulnerable area, meaning it is not suitable for livestock grazing.

"It is an interests readjustment, some used to make profits by grazing sheep and goats while changing the environment, which is against the interests of the majority," said Zhang said.

"But if you view the issue from a standpoint of ecological construction, you will understand it all," Zhang added.

Global Times