Greening October 18, 2016 12:00 am Readers will be aware, we wrote back in August about proposed changes to the Greening rules. Following concerns raised by delegations, Farm Commissioner, Phil Hogan has made a few ‘minor changes’ to the proposals. Perhaps the most significant is that they will now not come into force until 2018. In addition there will be no change to the length of the fallow or catch crop period. But the ban on the use of chemicals on EFA land, which would include beans that are being used to satisfy the nitrogen fixing crop requirement still remains within the proposals. The changes are part of Hogan’s ‘simplification’ exercise and were supposed to have been in place by 2017. At least farmers should now have ayear to react, but the ban on the use of chemicals on all EFA will be a blow to some if it comes into force.
