The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine plans to notify the EU Commission of its intention to avail of a derogation for cereal farmers in relation to crop diversification rules for next year. Minister Charlie McConalogue T.D made this public.
This amendment is aimed at providing maximum flexibility for farmers in terms of their planting decisions in the coming weeks and months.
The Minister said: “This change should be seen as complementing the measures already taken by the Government in 2022 to encourage Irish farmers to grow more tillage crops, which in turn will help towards producing more food.”
The Department attributes the relaxation of these rules due to the EU response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It thereby hopes to address current food security concerns with regards to global food availability and affordability.
Highlighting the situation for 2024, Minister McConalogue commented: “My officials are engaging with Commission services in relation to the Crop Diversification and Crop Rotation requirements from 2024. I am pleased to announce that a hybrid of Crop Diversification and Crop Rotation, suitable to the Irish situation, has been agreed with the European Commission.”
More details regarding Crop Diversification and Crop Rotation requirements from 2024 will be announced in the next few after discussions with the European Commission have ended.