The U-turn made by the Department of Agriculture on grass lie-backs for cover crops highlights the need for better communication and greater clarity around the requirements under farm regulations, Macra has warned.
A grass lie-back area is now no longer a requirement under the Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) regulations for catch crops.
Macra president Elaine Houlihan called for greater engagement with farm organisations around the regulations, stating that “active engagement” is key and that greater work must be done to ensure avoidable consequences to regulation changes which are simply not practical.
Short time frames
Adding to Houlihan’s comments, Macra agricultural affairs chair Liam Hanrahan said that “farm business planning is a key part of a viable business and the introduction of such measures under short time frames is simply not feasible from a practical viewpoint”.
He said it also doesn’t support farmers in their financial and farm management planning.
“This has been a difficult year for the tillage sector and many farmers have been working in good faith to implement these regulations at significant cost, not just in the cost of grass seed, but also the additional mental strain.
"Such decisions do little to attract young farmers into the tillage sector, which has greater implication beyond the farm gate in terms of the development of rural areas and generation renewal,” he said.
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Department U-turn on grass lie-back rules
The U-turn made by the Department of Agriculture on grass lie-backs for cover crops highlights the need for better communication and greater clarity around the requirements under farm regulations, Macra has warned.
A grass lie-back area is now no longer a requirement under the Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) regulations for catch crops.
Macra president Elaine Houlihan called for greater engagement with farm organisations around the regulations, stating that “active engagement” is key and that greater work must be done to ensure avoidable consequences to regulation changes which are simply not practical.
Short time frames
Adding to Houlihan’s comments, Macra agricultural affairs chair Liam Hanrahan said that “farm business planning is a key part of a viable business and the introduction of such measures under short time frames is simply not feasible from a practical viewpoint”.
He said it also doesn’t support farmers in their financial and farm management planning.
“This has been a difficult year for the tillage sector and many farmers have been working in good faith to implement these regulations at significant cost, not just in the cost of grass seed, but also the additional mental strain.
"Such decisions do little to attract young farmers into the tillage sector, which has greater implication beyond the farm gate in terms of the development of rural areas and generation renewal,” he said.
Read more
Department U-turn on grass lie-back rules
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