Stack or sow tillage choice

SOWINGS for winter cereals are the first indicator of the impact of decoupling in Irish agriculture.

Opponents of decoupling will be quick to interpret the 33% drop in early sowings of winter barley as a disastrous result of the EU decisions, to decouple arable aid payments, and to enable many growers claim their full arable payments on only 50% of the land they farmed three years ago.

The FAPRI-Ireland Partnership of Irish and US economists had predicted a fall in the value of the Irish cereals sector of just 4% due to decoupling (by 2012).