Welsh CAP update: More greening details unveiled

A high percentage of farmers in Wales will automatically qualify for the CAP greening element of Pillar 1 because their farms are mainly under permanent grassland.

The Welsh government says the new Pillar 1 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) will give Welsh farmers a wide choice of options to include in their ecological focus areas (EFA).

Hedges, stone walling, short-rotation coppice, afforested land, fallow land and nitrogen-fixing crops such as peas and beans will all count towards the 5% EFA requirement.

Commenting on the announcement, FUW president Emyr Jones said: “The inclusion of fallow land, hedges, stone wall, afforested land and land used for nitrogen-fixing crops within ‘greening’ ecological focus areas (EFAs) is welcome.

“Like the Welsh government, we were opposed to the introduction of greening which adds a new layer of restrictions and bureaucracy to the CAP regulations.

“However, despite this objection the minister’s decision to allow the range of areas to be eligible for EFAs must be welcomed.”

See also: Welsh rural development plan revealed

But Mr Jones described the decision as a “double-edged sword”.

He explained: “On the one hand, it will make it easier to comply with greening requirements and reduce the amount of land taken out of production but, on the other, it will create extra work for farmers who will need to map hedges, walls etc. before the end of October this year.”

In the case of entitlements, the value of those held in 2014 will be used as a basis for calculating the entitlement unit rate for 2015. But this won’t necessarily be the same as the payments claimants received in 2014.

People who can show they produced agricultural products in 2013 will be eligible for entitlements, irrespective of whether they made a Single Payment Scheme claim that year.

There won’t be a single Welsh national reserve but a “regional reserve” for each of Wales’ three land regions, with priority for young and new entrants.

Wales will also have a Young Farmers Scheme. Payments will be based on the number of eligible hectares the claimant has, up to a maximum of 25ha (62.5 acres).

Read also: CAP reform at-a-glance guide for UK regions