FARMERS planting catch crops, green-cover or nitrogen-fixing crops in their Ecological Focus Areas for claim year 2018 will not be allowed to use Plant Protection Products, following a 'disappointing' vote in the European Parliament.

The plan to ban PPPs on EFA crops had been strongly opposed by NFU Scotland, fellow farming unions and several member states – a position that was accepted by the agri-committee of the European Parliament two weeks ago.

However, in a vote at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, a majority of the MEPs who voted followed the lead of their committee. Unfortunately, with 78 MEPs not present at the vote, the 376 who voted in favour fell short of the required absolute majority.

Speaking from Brussels, where he was meeting other EU farming unions, NFUS president Andrew McCornick said: “The European Parliament’s decision to reject its own agri-committee’s views on the use of PPPs on EFAs waters down the genuine simplification benefits that could have been delivered and will make life more difficult for Scottish farmers, not easier.

“That said, there is much of the simplification package that is positive. We will be lobbying the Scottish Government to implement those positive elements of the package into Scotland’s greening rules, widening the list of EFA options."