The requirement to establish a green cover within six weeks of ploughing/cultivating land destined for spring crops, where the ploughing/cultivation takes place before January 15th, is causing difficulties for Irish cereal growers. The main concerns, about the effective ban on ploughing before January 15th, include yield reduction and extra costs caused by difficulty in achieving good seedbeds. There are also concerns about pest and disease carryover, machine capacity and malting barley quality. These potential implications were considered in this review.
