NFU Cumru advises farmers on zero set-aside

NFU Cymru is advising farmers to consider carefully how they respond to the Commission's decision to reduce set-aside to zero for 2008. The move to reduce set-aside has been made to ease pressures caused by increasing global demand for grain and growing world populations.

The adoption of zero set-aside, announced at yesterday's EU Agricultural Council meeting, will give choice back to farmers and growers and allow them flexibility to meet the demands of world markets. But, contrary to popular belief, farmers will not be forced, or obliged, to cultivate any additional land, formerly set-aside or cropped, in 2007/08.

Perkin Evans, Vice Chair of NFU Cymru's Combinable Crops and Horticulture Working Group said, "With mounting concern across the world over grain shortages, caused in the main by adverse climate conditions and increasing global demand, the productivity of our farmland matters more now than ever before. Today's move will now mean that the anomaly of set aside, something which constrained the sector's ability to meet clear market demand has now been removed for 2008 at least."

"However, production does not need to come at a cost for the environment. I urge farmers and growers to retain areas of high conservation value and I am convinced they will do so."

Agri-environment schemes such as Tir Cynnal and Tir Gofal can further contribute to maintaining the increase we have seen in wildlife numbers in a more targeted manner than set aside has done.

" NFU Cymru welcomes the announcement on set-aside as it gives farmers and growers the opportunity to show the future for agriculture lies in achieving both the prosperity and productivity of agricultural and wildlife, side by side."