Malting barley and share farmers to feel effects of crop diversification
Where the entire farm is planted to malting barley, these rules will require growers to reduce their overall acreage of malting barley, according to Teagasc expert Michael Hennessy.
In an article for the Teagasc magazine, Today’s Farm, hesaid this would result in a loss of income from the malting barley crop, potential loss of contracts in the short to medium term, and will force farmers to grow new crops such as winter barley and beans.
“Unfortunately, as the rules stand, there is no way around these rules for these growers at the moment.”
He said crop diversification, permanent grassland, and ecological focused area (EFA) are attached to the new CAP’s greening element, which is mandatory for farmers in order to receive 30% of the total single farm payment (now split into basic and greening payments).
There is no crop diversification requirement where a farmer plants fewer than 10 hectares of arable land.
Where a farmer plants 10-30 hectares, he is obliged to grow at least two crops, none of which can exceed 75% of the arable land.
Where a farmer has more than 30 hectares of arable land, he is obliged to grow at least three crops, of which the main crop must be less than 75% of the arable land, and two main crops total less than 95% of the arable land.
Permanent grassland does not count as a crop for the three-crop rules.
However, temporary grassland can be counted as a crop.
“For farmers engaged in share farming, these greening rules also presents difficulties as most of these farms are block cropped to increase efficiency of the total operation,2 according to Mr Hennessy.
“As most land owners will claim the new payments, the requirement is on the land owner to have the required amount of crops to qualify for greening.
“This may reduce the attractiveness of these land parcels to the share farmers, due to the extra costs incurred in planting more than one crop.
“Teagasc is working with the DAFM to devise a solution to help with this problem under existing rules.
“This is being considered at EU level at the moment.”
Mr Hennessy also said that the Department of Agriculture has estimated that more than 60% of farmers would fulfil the new 5% ecological focused area requirement with their existing hedges and ditches.
Farmers who are obliged to comply with greening rules, and who have more than15 hectares of arable land, must have at least 5% of that area dedicated to EFAs (which could be hedges, ponds, ditches, catch crops, nitrogen fixing crops, etc).
However, growers with large fields or fields with no hedges (typically in areas such as Co Kildare and parts of Meath) may not have enough EFA area.
The planting of beans or peas will help to fulfil both EFA and crop diversification requirements.
Rotations can also help farmers fulfil crop diversification requirements — and will increase tillage output in most circumstances, according to Mr Hennessy.
He said farmers with tillage crops have to start planning now to make sure they are compliant with the new rules.
Permanent grassland does not affect crop growers, because this requirement will be fulfilled at a national level.
Therefore, crop growers can continue to rotationally plough grassland, except in areas of natural habitats.
Organic farmers, and farmers with 75% of their eligible land in grassland (tillage area not greater than 30 hectares) are exempt from greening rules.
