The European Commission will consider allowing cultivations on ‘set-aside’ land to boost production in 2022, the Irish Farmers Journal understands.

“A number of member states suggested that we could perhaps use set-aside land for growing protein crops,” said French Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie over the weekend.

The proposals will be discussed at the next meeting on 21 March and would likely involved modifying EU farm policy rules.

Increase

French co-operative group InVivo, one of Europe’s largest agricultural firms, said a waiving of set-aside rules under the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy has the potential to increase cultivated area by 10% to 15% and boost EU wheat output.

However, financial support is necessary to compensate for soaring fertiliser prices for EU farmers to expand crop production, the firm said.

Spring planting is already under way across many European countries, so it is thought that any change to the rules would likely affect maize or protein crops, spring-sown oilseeds or pulses.