Will farmers lose their "area-based" payments if they plant agroforestry? What about existing trees on farms - is the crown area of these deducted from payments? What difference does it make if the trees are marked as "Landscape Features" in IACS/LPIS?
This briefing is a bit technical and includes text from several EU Regulations - but the key point is that Member States have huge flexibility. In the new CAP this is made explicit:
"Member States would have the leeway to ensure agricultural area under agroforestry is fully eligible when justified based on the local specificities (e.g. density/species/size of the trees and pedo-climatic conditions) and the value added by the presence of trees to ensure sustainable agricultural use of the land".
Read the full EURAF policy briefing here and leave your comments here.