The IFA has welcomed news that work to remove the two-crop rule is nearing a conclusion.

At present, tillage farmers with between 10ha and 30ha have to grow at least two crops under crop diversification requirements in CAP.

The decision is yet to be ratified by the EU council and parliament.

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It should be noted that farmers with 30ha of crops or more will still have to grow at least three crops on their farms.

A total of 72% of farms with tillage in Ireland has 30ha or less of that land in tillage crops.

The rule has caused significant issues for smaller tillage farmers such as access to contractors and resulted in crops being grown where markets were not in demand for crops such as oats.

Exodus

IFA grain chairperson chair Kieran McEvoy said: “Our tillage area has contracted significantly in the past decade and some of the exodus has been from smaller farmers who didn’t wish to grow more than one crop. Hopefully this will help encourage these farms to consider producing tillage crops again,” he said.

The IFA said it raised the GAEC 7 issue with Irish MEPs to ensure the two-crop rule was dealt with under the simplification proposals. The IFA also proposed that the three-crop rule requirements should be raised from 30ha to 50ha. However, this was not included in the current proposed changes.

McEvoy commented: “Once fully approved, it is vital that the Department implement these regulatory changes in a timely manner to ensure they are in place ahead the 2026 spring planting season,” Kieran McEvoy said.