Growers around the country have signalled their intention to begin ploughing next week.
Under measures contained in the Good Agricultural Practice for the Protection of Waters Regulations 2018, ploughing of arable land is permitted from 1 December onwards.
Good backend
The good backend has meant that ground conditions had remained reasonable across the whole country up until recently.
Farmers in areas where December ploughing is rarely an option are even considering the option of getting the plough into the ground next week.
However, over the past few weeks, certain areas have been getting above-average rainfall and ground is beginning to soften.
This week, we are set to see a return of wet, windy conditions, which are likely to limit field work. With a cooler week in store, drying opportunities will be limited.
Green cover and desiccation
It’s useful to be reminded of the rules surrounding green cover and ploughing.
For autumn ploughing, the rules state that arable land ploughed between 1 July and 30 November must have a green cover in them from a sown crop within six weeks of ploughing.
Where a non-selective herbicide is used on land between 1 July and 30 November, you must attempt to have green cover established on all of the land within six weeks.
This will either be as a result of a sown crop or natural regeneration.
The minimum area is reduced to 75% on land contracted for seed crops and/or for human consumption.
No till zone
Remember, no ploughing or tilling may take place within 2m of a watercourse (stream/river) marked on the modern 1:5000 OSI scale OSI map or better, except in the case of grassland reseeding or establishment. The no-till zone does not apply to field drains.
Cross compliance inspection
In the event of a cross compliance inspection, these are the main points which are likely to be asked in relation to ploughing and green cover: