To meet the greening requirements, catch crops no longer have to stand for 8 or 10 weeks after the main crop has been harvested. That is one of the changes that the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl) reports on its website website.
To receive the greening premium from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), arable farmers must meet the requirement of an Ecological Focus Area. This can be completed by growing a catch crop.
Growing catch crops
The change only applies to catch crops that are sown directly with the main crop (catch crop category 3). This catch crop, which is grown for the Ecological Focus Area and sown with the main crop, no longer needs to be on the land for 8 or 10 weeks. However, if the catch crop has not been sown until after the main crop, the catch crop must remain on the land for the relevant period.
In practice, this means that a green manure sown under the main crop can immediately get a follow-up crop. Coen Knook, agricultural business advisor at De Dijken: "This is particularly advantageous for farmers who grow grain on heavy clay soils. They can then immediately continue with the next crop, without having to wait 10 weeks."
Sowing date later
If a catch crop is sown after the main crop, the deadline for sowing a catch crop has been extended from September 30 to October 15. This is more in line with the weather conditions from that moment. This must be reported digitally no later than the day of sowing.
Furthermore, no crop protection products may be used on catch crops that are used for the Ecological Focus Area. In addition, if the catch crops are under-sown, leguminous plants (such as red vetch and clover) may now also be sown.
manure room
This change is a condition for meeting the greening requirements from the CAP. In order to be able to claim extra nitrogen space, the crop must remain in place until at least 15 October.
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