Angry reaction over compulsory 2m strip

摘要

Farming organisations have reacted angrily to Defra's decision to impose a two metre uncultivated field margin as part of cross-compliance requirements in England. The farming and environmental lobbies, which included the RSPB and English Nature, havebeen split down the middle on this issue with the NFU and FWAG arguing that the two metre uncultivated margin should be included as part of the new Entry Level Stewardship Scheme According to NFU president Tim Bennett, by making these margins compulsoryDefra has made it more difficult for farmers to sign up for the ELS and will put the 70% participation target at risk. "We may have a situation where every farmer in England has a compulsory modulation deduction from his SFP to fund a scheme in which ahigh proportion of farmers may now be reluctant to participate," he said.