Minister says crop plan makes no sense

CROP rotation and crop diversity greening CAP proposals make no sense, said Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney in the Dáil.

The proposals for tillage farmers include 7% of farmland set aside for nature. “It won’t be anything like that in the final agreement,” said Mr Coveney at the National Dairy Show in Millstreet, describing the 7% as immoral when global food security is at issue. He said 30% greening is also too high, and a proposal that tillage farmers must cultivate at least three crops also needs improving. Where it exists, biodiversity should be protected, but the EU can’t force these proposals on every farmer, said Mr Coveney in Millstreet.

Earlier, he told the Dáil: “The idea that one would be required to have a minimum of 5% of arable land, planted with three different crops, is a bit of a nonsense. I think what the commission would have liked to do is put in place a measure that required farmers to have crop rotation plans on arable farms, but it was proving very difficult to write a policy that would be easily enforceable. What we have is a measure that will be questioned, amended and changed under the greening.