Luxembourg Favours Derogation from Crop Rotation and Fallowing

Luxembourg's Ministry of Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development has confirmed that the cabinet of the government has given the green light to derogations from environmental rules concerning fallow land and crop rotation, proposed by the European Commission in order to stimulate production in the face of the impact of the war in Ukraine.

In the context of the current level of uncertainty, where cereal exports from Ukraine remain threatened, major questions arise in terms of food at the global level and especially for the countries of the Mediterranean basin and of Africa in general.

In order to deal with this food crisis, to avoid a continuous rise in basic prices and to respond to short-term food security concerns, Luxembourg's Minister of Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development, Claude Haagen, is in favour of a derogation from crop rotation and the mobilisation of fallow land. For Minister Haagen, this decision is an act of solidarity which confirms our contribution as a Member State in the face of concerns in terms of supply and food security.

Minister Haagen nevertheless specifies that these derogations are linked to strict conditions:

• only for the 2023 crop year
• only limited to crops intended for human consumption and going hand-in-hand with the systematic installation of honey strips (Blühstreifen) for fallow crops
• only if the use of plant protection products is limited to what is strictly necessary.

The technical details of the implementation are expected to be announced shortly.