Growers and agronomists I have been speaking to say that a requirement to grow three crops under the new CAP proposals would trigger sweeping changes in crop rotation - if ever the proposals became law.

Any changes will not take effect until at least 2014 and as usual the devil will be in the detail. But under the proposals, growers will be required to grow at least three different crops, with none exceeding 70% of the total farm area and the third crop not less than 5%. Interestingly, the new rules will only apply if the total arable area exceeds 3ha (7.5 acres).

How would this effect your arable business? I imangine continuous wheat growers will not be happy and those on a wheat/wheat/rape rotation may have to look at barley in that second wheat slot if they want to hold on to their single farm payment...

  

ohbakasan:

grow at least three different crops, with none exceeding 70% of the total farm area and the third crop not less than 5%

So you can still do wheat/rape/wheat/rape/wheat/rape/wheat/rape/wheat/rape/wheat/rape/wheat/rape/wheat/rape/wheat/rape/wheat/rape/wheat/BEANS then? Does each field have to ultimatly be rotated, or can you have continuous wheat in one area, and a super rotation elsewhere? Is fallow = a different crop? 

thats great news, i currently grow 8 arable crops and i want to simplify, so 3 it will be.

Where do the differences lie? Do all cereals count as one type, or do malting barley/ milling wheat/ feed wheat all count as different crops?

Could Tesla be fine with a milling wheat/ double low rape/ biscuit wheat/ HEAR rotation?

Could you even stretch that to a milling/ biscuit/ feed wheat cropping?

i dont think milling wheat will qualify as separate from feed wheat

I was showing that it really makes not much difference to replace 5% of your farm with winter beans in an otherwise wheat/rape rotation.

Wonder if spring wheat will be considered different to winter wheat? It will all be a crappy fudge anyway. I grow a decent rotation but then on paper wheat and rape would be simplest and most profitable. And if something "failed" could you replace it with a wheat or spring rape? "Well, it was barley but it failed so we redrilled it with spring rape. Honest."