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The greening aid initiative mandates specific environmental actions on all eligible agricultural lands, aligning with European regulations. Key requirements include crop diversification, retention of environmentally sensitive permanent grassland, and establishment of ecological focus areas (EFA). Exemptions apply to organic farmers and certain land conditions. Farmers must abide by regulations detailing crop diversification based on land area, with additional provisions for permanent grassland and ecological focus areas. The initiative aims to enhance sustainability within agricultural practices.
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Mandatory requirement on all eligible land to undertake certain actions for the environment… • 3 European Requirements • Crop Diversification • Retention of environmentally sensitive permanent grassland • Ecological Focus Areas • Or tightly defined equivalent measures delivered through a National Certification Scheme (NCS) • Organic farmers exempted
Defra has decided to implement 3 European requirements • NFU continues to seek flexibility on crop diversification
Crop Diversification • <10ha = no requirement • 10ha - 30ha = 2 crops • Main crop can be no more than 75% of area • > 30ha = 3 crops • Main crop no more than 75% • 2 Main crops no more than 95% of area • Crop = • Grass, • spring / winter varieties different • WW/ SB/WOSR/SW
Exemptions • Crop Diversification obligation will not apply when: • >75% of arable land is grass and remaining arable < 30ha • > 75% of eligible agricultural area is grass and remaining arable land is < 30ha • >50% of arable land declared is declared by someone else in previous year and there is evidence of rotation
Permanent grassland • Member States shall designate “environmentally sensitive grasslands” that need protection • Located in Natura 2000 sites (SAC, SPAs) • Option for MS to designate more widely • Farmers shall not convert and not plough these designated areas • Outwith these areas, MS must ensure ratio of PG does not fall by > 5%
Ecological Focus Areas • >15ha arable land • 5% EFA • Commission to propose an increase to 7% in 2017 • What is an EFA?
Defra gets to decide what counts: • Fallow land, • Landscape features, hedges, ponds, walls, ditches, dykes, drains, earth banks, forest edges, isolated trees, • non commercial woodland within arable parcel • nitrogen fixing crops, • areas of short rotation coppice, catch crops • Standard weighting matrix to turn features into EFA area
EFA Exemptions • < 15ha arable • > 75% of arable land is grass and remaining arable < 30ha • > 75% of eligible agricultural area is grass and remaining arable land is < 30ha
Greening administration • No penalties for 1st 2 years beyond loss of 30% payment • 2017, withdrawal of 30% and penalty of 20% • (= loss of 36% payment) • 2018, withdrawal of 30% and penalty of 25% • (= loss of 37.5% payment) • Mapping of EFA deferred until May 2018 • New CAP IT