The EU has scrapped the arable "set-aside" policy - a response to fresh concerns about food security.
This development coincides with efforts of the government of the state of Brandenburg to enhance the production of biomass for energy use on arable set-aside and post-mining land.
It was an unusual wedding present in 2005 that inspired Charlotte and Jon Clarkson of Kiplingcotes Farm in east Yorkshire to diversify their family owned arable farm by setting up award-winning charcuterie brand Three Little Pigs.
If they were hungry for want of arable farmland, they set sail into the unknown to found new colonies, having no other choice but starvation.
Assuming that those farmers interested in growing DECs converted 9.29% (average percentage of arable land set-aside between 1996 and 2005) of their utilised agricultural area to these crops, 50,700 ha and 89,900 ha of SRC and miscanthus would, respectively, be grown on English arable farms.
So why not, the Germans ask, just tinker a bit, reducing set-asides and quotas, but otherwise leaving things (especially prices) as they are?Quite apart from the difficulty of setting aside nearly 30% of all arable land (up from the current 5%), which such inaction might well require, the Germans may find surprisingly few allies in their do-nothing camp.
David Marshall Lodge Visitor Centre 01877 382258 Halfway between Burntwood and Lichfield, Pipe Hall Farm is 49 hectares (121 acres) of established woodland and new plantation set within arable fields.
For L. corniculatus, fruit-set was also significantly different between the gardens and the arable field margin setting (Fig 5A; F1,8 = 7.69; P = 0.02).
During the first two observation periods (which coincided with oilseed rape and field bean flowering times respectively) there was significantly higher G. hederacea seed set in gardens than in the arable field margin settings (Fig 4A; F1,8 = 7.07; P = 0.029).
The Arable also had to be easy to set up and durable enough to be working in 3 years in the same position in the field, Bould said.
