The European Commission grants a temporary derogation for growing crops on set-aside land. The derogation is only valid for 2022. This is what European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski said in a tweet. In total, almost 4 million hectares are concerned.
To ensure food security in the European Union, and possibly to help other countries outside the EU, a number of measures have already been taken. One of these measures is the derogation on fallow land and fields sown with nitrogen fixing crops. The derogation is temporary and only valid for 2022. The derogation does not stipulate what crops may or may not be grown. Grazing on fallow land is also allowed. The countries with the biggest impact due to this derogation are France, Germany, Italy and Spain, which together account for about 70% of the set-aside land designated as an Ecological Focus Area. How many additional tonnes of cereals or other crops this derogation would generate is unknown at this stage.
Source: Twitter
Photo © Stephen Craven (cc-by-sa/2.0)
