Press Release: Drought: Use of set-aside land for animal feed allowed in more Member States

After agreeing to authorise farmers affected by severe drought to use set aside land for animal feed purposes in nine Member States on 27 July 2006, the European Commission has now responded positively to similar demands from five other Member States: Ireland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Slovenia. Normally the agricultural use of set-aside areas is allowed only from 31 August onwards but due to the heatwave in the last weeks, the animal feed growing on these areas would dry up before it could be used.