Farming: Set-aside
Set-aside
If you are farmer in England and want to qualify for the Single Payment Scheme you must set-aside a proportion of your land out of production, or use this land to grow crops for a limited number of non-food or animal feed uses, subject to certain exemptions.
There are three main issues regarding set-aside:-
- set-aside obligations
- selection & management
- uses of set-aside land
Set-aside is land taken out of production to reduce the risk of food surpluses, while increasing the opportunity for environmental benefits.
Set-aside obligations
For the 2006 scheme year, the amount of land that needs to be set-aside has remained the same as that required in 2005.
The set-aside rates are:
English area
England outside the Upland SDA: 8 per cent
English Upland SDA - Non-Moorland Area: 1.3 per cent
English Upland SDA - Moorland Area: Nil
(SDA = Seriously Disadvantaged Area)
If the area of land that you would have as set-aside falls below a certain threshold (see below) then you do not need to set land aside.
England outside the Upland SDA: 19.48 ha
English Upland SDA - Non-Moorland Area: 122.36 ha
Organic producers do not have to set-aside land.
Further advice is available from the Defra helpline on 08459 335577 and the Rural Payments Agency.
Selection and management
It is important to be aware that you may be financially disadvantaged by using land in an agri-environment scheme to meet set-aside requirements, as this is likely to result in the agri-environment scheme payment being reduced.
For example you may not place Entry Level Stewardship options on set-aside land apart from those listed in section 4.1.2 of the Entry Level Stewardship Handbook.
Under Higher Level Stewardship (HLS), two arable options are available to enhance the environmental interest of set-aside. Although some of the management requirements may differ, any land entered as HLS Cultivated Fallow Plots for Arable Flora or for Ground Nesting Birds will not be disqualified from the Single Payment Scheme and may be included within the farm’s set-aside obligation.
If receiving payments under the Single Payment Scheme you must ensure that all agricultural land (including set-aside) is in Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) and complies with Statutory Management Requirements.
For land to qualify as set-aside, you must normally establish and maintain a green cover by sowing grass, grass mixtures, or other acceptable cover; sowing wild bird cover; or allowing natural regeneration.
Green cover on set-aside land must usually be cut between 15 July and 15 August and cuttings must normally be left on the ground to rot.
If you are creating or maintaining set-aside strips of 6-10 metres wide and do not graze or harvest any silage from the land after the end of the set-aside period then you are exempt from the cutting regime.
A further consideration with set-aside land is whether you keep the necessary set-aside on the same land for following years or to rotate it.
Leaving set-aside in one place can benefit wildlife while rotating set-aside may help meet agronomic objectives, particularly following cereals and when stubble is allowed to regenerate over the winter.
Uses of set-aside land
During the set-aside period (15 January to 31 August inclusive), set-aside land must not be used for any form of agricultural production, including horticulture and grazing, apart from exceptions laid out in section F of the Set-aside Handbook and Guidance for England (2006).
The production of non-food crops is permitted under certain rules described in Section G of the same handbook.
After the set-aside period, land may be harvested for hay or silage for the farmer’s own use. It may also be grazed with animals.
Animals must be removed from the land by before the following set-aside period if the land is to be set-aside again.
Useful links
Defra
External
Further information
Defra helpline – 08459 33 55 77
Rural Payments Agency helpline – 0845 603 7777
Page last modified: 1 July 2006
Page published: 1 July 2006