In light of the difficulties faced by European farmers affected by drought this summer, the European Commission has proposed a number of new greening flexibilities. The proposals are aimed at increasing the availability of fodder for livestock.

The proposals

The new greening derogation proposals include:

  • Possibility to consider winter crops normally sown in autumn for harvesting/grazing as catch crops if intended for grazing/fodder production.
  • Possibility to sow catch crops as pure crops rather than mixtures if intended for grazing/fodder production.
  • Possiblity to shorten the eight-week minimum period for catch crops to ensure tillage farmers can sow their winter crops in a timely manner.

    • The proposals come in addition to the provisions announced by the commission in early August. The new provisions will be voted by Member States on in the coming days and formally adopted by the end of September. However, they will apply retro-actively.

    Additional action

    EU Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan, said: "We are today taking additional action which I believe should provide relief to European farmers against the shortage of feed for animals.

    “I welcome the recent announcements by several Member States ready to act for their agricultural sector and I will continue working with them to ensure they use to the full extent the possibilities available, most notably within the Common Agricultural Policy."

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