SET-ASIDE DEROGATION FOR FLOODING

The European Commission has granted a derogation for farms on which at least a third of the declared forage area has been subject to flooding to be allowed to use the cover from set-aside land for grazing or fodder.

The derogation covers the whole of Scotland and follows calls from NFUS for SEERAD to ask the Commission for this allowance.


Details:-
· Farms in Scotland on which at least 33 per cent of the forage declared on the Area Aid Application has been subject to flooding will be allowed to use the cover from set-aside land for grazing or fodder. This includes land that has been flooded and is now waterlogged.
· It allows grass which has to be cut and left on the ground to rot during the set-aside period to be used now for grazing or fodder. However, any fodder saved cannot be sold to another farmers.
· Farmers wishing to take up the derogation should contact their local SEERAD Area Office with details of the forage fields affected.
· Under normal rules, set-aside cannot be used for agricultural production and grazing is only permitted after 1 September.
· The derogation approved by the European Commission applies to the whole of Scotland – as well as Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, some counties in England and some parts of Germany.