Three-crop rule relaxed by EU

CLA President Tim Breitmeyer

European Commissioner for Agriculture & Rural Development Phil Hogan has accepted UK requests to relax the three-crop rule.

The CLA wrote to Mr Hogan earlier this week backing the request by Farming Minister George Eustice for a UK-wide exemption from the three-crop rule for the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) 2018.

The EU requires farmers with more than 30 hectares to grow at least three different crops every year. Due to unusually heavy rain and snow at a critical time for planting Mr Hogan has confirmed that Scotland and Northern Ireland have a complete derogation with England and Wales partially exempted from the rule.

CLA President Tim Breitmeyer said: “The Commissioner’s confirmation to relax the three-crop rule is good news for farmers and the long-term health and viability of their soils. Without this decision, the extraordinary weather over the past few months would have made it very difficult to establish crops and have caused irreparable damage to soil.”

CLA Director North Dorothy Fairburn said: “Whilst welcome, for some farmers in the North, this partial derogation has unfortunately come too late. It has been a particularly harsh winter and spring, with sodden fields across the whole of the region. In future, the hope is that such decisions are made prior to farmers preparing the soil for sowing spring and other crops.”