ADVICE to farmers in Britain to minimise grassland between now and 2014 has set the CAP reform proposals on a collision course with environmentalists.
They are worried that some of the estimated 100,000 hectares in Britain which is rich in biodiversity after more than 6,000 years of traditional farming practices will be ploughed up.
Some environmentally important grasslands were ploughed up last summer soon after the reform proposals were leaked.
And farmers and landlords are now being advised to keep grassland to a minimum up to 2014, or ensure that grassland is rotated before the five-year point, to prevent it becoming permanent pasture when a new farm payment scheme is based on a 2014 land register.
Environment secretary Caroline Spelman said she had warned the EU environment commissioner, Janez Potocnik, of such unintended consequences of rule changes.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, February 09, 2012
