A question from school that I can't answer

[neilwiltshire]

Dear members,

Firstly please forgive my ignorance on this subject.
A student today stated with apparent confidence, that farmers within the EU cannot choose what crops to cultivate on their land. He claimed that here in The Czech Republic, the EU dictates what can and can't be grown and in this particular year Czech farmers were forced to grow rape seed in place of 'traditional' things like wheat and oats. He concluded from this that the EU undermines the country's food self sufficiency and blights the land with yellow fields of pungent rape seed flowers.

I replied to him that this would seem to me unlikely and that it would be logical to grow crops best suited to the environment and according to EU market demands. But I have no evidence to back up my claim.

I have read the EU CAP AT A GLANCE document for the country and there is no mention of who chooses what should be grown.

Please can someone clear this up or direct me to a document I can read.

Thank you very much,

Neil

 

[Exfarmer]

Dear members,

Firstly please forgive my ignorance on this subject.
A student today stated with apparent confidence, that farmers within the EU cannot choose what crops to cultivate on their land. He claimed that here in The Czech Republic, the EU dictates what can and can't be grown and in this particular year Czech farmers were forced to grow rape seed in place of 'traditional' things like wheat and oats. He concluded from this that the EU undermines the country's food self sufficiency and blights the land with yellow fields of pungent rape seed flowers.

I replied to him that this would seem to me unlikely and that it would be logical to grow crops best suited to the environment and according to EU market demands. But I have no evidence to back up my claim.

I have read the EU CAP AT A GLANCE document for the country and there is no mention of who chooses what should be grown.

Please can someone clear this up or direct me to a document I can read.

Thank you very much,

Neil

Many of the EU rules are interpreted locally quite differently to how Brussels lays down , as UK farmers know to their cost.
To cap it all politicians then try to hide behind Brussels skirts, blaming the EU for their own failings

 

[neilwiltshire]

That hasn't answered my question, but thank you for your post.

 

[Still Farming]

Grow what you like .
Some chase the most profitable and one's that possibly attract eu aid if applicable???

 

[Bald Rick]

Dear members,

Firstly please forgive my ignorance on this subject.
A student today stated with apparent confidence, that farmers within the EU cannot choose what crops to cultivate on their land. He claimed that here in The Czech Republic, the EU dictates what can and can't be grown and in this particular year Czech farmers were forced to grow rape seed in place of 'traditional' things like wheat and oats. He concluded from this that the EU undermines the country's food self sufficiency and blights the land with yellow fields of pungent rape seed flowers.

I replied to him that this would seem to me unlikely and that it would be logical to grow crops best suited to the environment and according to EU market demands. But I have no evidence to back up my claim.

I have read the EU CAP AT A GLANCE document for the country and there is no mention of who chooses what should be grown.

Please can someone clear this up or direct me to a document I can read.

Thank you very much,

Neil

More likely they have been caught by the “3 crop rule”

Eco-schemes

Eco-schemes support farmers who adopt or maintain farming practices that contribute to EU environmental and climate goals.

ec.europa.eu

If you have 10ha of arable land you must grow at least two crops. 30ha or more three crops of which no one crop can be greater than 75%

 

[Still Farming]

More likely they have been caught by the “3 crop rule”

Eco-schemes

Eco-schemes support farmers who adopt or maintain farming practices that contribute to EU environmental and climate goals.

ec.europa.eu

Czech republic applicable also possibly?

 

[Bald Rick]

Czech republic applicable also possibly?

Common to all EU countries

 

[rob1]

here in the UK we have to grow three different crops if we grow any arable crops over a certain acreage

 

[neilwiltshire]

Great, thanks everyone for your help. I thought it might be grow what you like, given some restrictions. But I wasn't sure. My student seemed to think that the individual farmers had absolutely no say over what they grow. Which made no sense to me.

Once again - Thank you all

 

[matthew]

Great, thanks everyone for your help. I thought it might be grow what you like, given some restrictions. But I wasn't sure. My student seemed to think that the individual farmers had absolutely no say over what they grow. Which made no sense to me.

Once again - Thank you all

If farmers claim Subsidy payments, them's the rules for arable cropping, as explained above. So in that sense, farmers do not have a choice over the crops they grow.

 

[Luke Cropwalker]

Great, thanks everyone for your help. I thought it might be grow what you like, given some restrictions. But I wasn't sure. My student seemed to think that the individual farmers had absolutely no say over what they grow. Which made no sense to me.

Once again - Thank you all

Well done for taking the initiative and finding out from the horses mouth so to speak. If there is anything else that may be of interest please ask.

 

[Campbell]

Remember some Romanian farmers telling me that they used to have little choice over who actually harvested their crops. But that was probably the Mafia, not the EU..................

 

[7610 super q]

Sounds like the 3 crop rule. The less land you own, the more of a **** it is to try and accommodate this nonsense. A classic example of why a blanket approach across an entire continent is a disaster.

 

[Still Farming]

If farmers claim Subsidy payments, them's the rules for arable cropping, as explained above. So in that sense, farmers do not have a choice over the crops they grow.

Just don't claim aid or hand outs then simple!

 

[X344chap]

No subsidies so i grow what i like when i like. Toying with the idea of some spring barley for the feed and straw. Havent had the plough out for 20 years.

 

[traineefarmer]

Remember some Romanian farmers telling me that they used to have little choice over who actually harvested their crops. But that was probably the Mafia, not the EU..................

Is there a difference?