From 1 January 2015 farmers in Northern Ireland will not be allowed to plough or convert permanent grassland in areas designated as environmentally sensitive under the Habitats Directive and/or the Birds Directive.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has classified land as part of implementing greening which is part of CAP Reform in NI. Permanent grassland in fields covered by the Habitats Directive and/or the Birds Directive, including in peat and wetlands situated in these areas have been classified as Permanent Grassland Sensitive (PGS). Fields will be classified as PGS if 10% or more of the field area or an area greater than 0.1 hectares lies within the designated area.

In fields which are classified as PGS, the ploughing and conversion ban will apply to the part of the field designated as environmentally sensitive under the Habitats Directive and/or the Birds Directive.

DARD has issued letters to those farmers whose records indicate that their field or fields are classified as PGS. DARD will be undertaking checks to ensure compliance with these rules and failure to comply with the restrictions may result in a reduction to Greening Payments.

Any permanent grassland field that has been identified as having less than 10% of the field area and not more than 0.1 hectares inside the designated area will not be classified as PGS and will not be subject to the ploughing and conversion ban. However, the protection afforded to these areas under the Habitats Directive and/or the Birds Directive will still apply.

To find out what land has been classified as PGS, farmers are asked to contact their local DARD Direct Office.