Important changes to Greening Requirements for 2018

The EU Greening requirements for the 2018 Scheme Year have been amended and DEFRA have partially clarified how they will implement these new Regulations in England.

 

The key changes are expected to be as follows:

 

1. There will be a ban on the use of Plant Protection Products on EFA Fallow Land, Catch & Cover Crops and Nitrogen Fixing Crops.  This ban is expected to apply to the full lifecycle of the crop (or 1^st January to 30^th June in the case of Fallow) and will include a ban on seed treatments.  Further details and clarification is sought, but may not be available until the autumn.
2. The EFA option of Buffer Strips (1m adjacent to watercourses) will be extended to include a buffer strip against any Field Margin.  DEFRA are hoping to clarify that the buffer can be against any field edge and need not be adjacent to an environmental feature.  It is expected that the weighting will remain at 1m length (and minimum of 1m width) = 9m²
3. An EFA Catch Crop must be established for the extended period of 20^th August to 14^th October.
4. The EFA option for Hedges will be extended to include trees in a line.
5. The EFA option for Nitrogen Fixing Crops will be extended to include mixtures of nitrogen fixing crops and also mixtures of nitrogen fixing crops and other crops.

 

We anticipate a reduction in pea and bean crops grown for EFA purposes, but expect that many farmers will be able to meet their EFA requirements though use of Hedges and Field Margin buffer strips, without having to remove large areas from production.