The main actions attributed to tillage farmers in the Climate Action Plan relate to increased cover crop area and a minimum of 10% straw incorporation nationally.

There is an objective to have at least 50,000ha of cover/catch crop on tillage land by 2030.

This will help capture nutrients that might otherwise be leached while sequestering carbon to return organic matter to the soil for storage.

The challenge here is to know the planted area, because there are already many hundreds, if not thousands of hectares, of catch crops grown outside of official schemes.

At least 10% of national straw is to be incorporated under the Straw Incorporation Measure, which will fund up to 14% of current cereal area.

Other impacts for tillage farmers include a potential restriction in nitrogen use, the potential to grow products like hemp for use in construction materials, increased use of biofuels for transport (but will this be imported?), sustainably produced feedstock for biomethane production, more leguminous crops and biomass for energy (this sector was killed by past policies).

There will be targeted grant aid (50%) for capital investments in renewable energy and specific support for investments in precision farming and low-disturbance tillage equipment.

There are also measures to protect and enhance soil carbon and to increase trees and hedgerows on farms.