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Berwick-upon-Tweed
6°C
14:07
- 12 January 2026
EFA Changes 2026: What do the EFA changes mean for you?
The Scottish Government has recently introduced some important changes to the Ecological Focus Area (EFA) scheme, which is part of the Enhanced Greening requirements under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS).
These changes mean more businesses will now be required to undertake greening on arable land in order to receive the 30% Greening component of their BPS payments, making EFA compliance more important than ever.
What is an Ecological Focus Area?
An Ecological Focus Area is an area of land upon which you carry out agricultural practices that are beneficial for the climate and the environment.
The main aim of EFA is to mitigate climate change and improve biodiversity.
What has changed in 2026?
From January 1, 2026 (with an establishment period permitted until July 15, 2026, for activities that are associated with the creation of an EFA option), the Scottish Government has implemented several important changes to the EFA framework:
1. Removal of previous grassland exemptions
The first notable change is the removal of the previous 75% grassland exemption from greening requirements.
This change means that if you have more than 15ha of non-organic arable land within Scotland (some exceptions exist), at least 5% of your calculated arable area (including temporary grassland) must now be managed under one or more of the EFA options detailed in section 2.
2. Increased EFA options
The number of EFA options that can be used on their own or in combination to meet the EFA requirement has been increased from seven to 11, giving growers more flexibility in how they meet the 5% requirement.
Approved options now include:
- Fallow land
- Margins
- Catch crops
- Green cover
- Nitrogen-fixing crops
- Hedges
- Agro-forestry
- Low input grassland*
- Herb and legume rich pastures*
- Alternative EFA agro-forestry option*
- Unharvested crop*
*New options for 2026
3. Map submission changes
EFA maps no longer need to be submitted alongside your Single Application Form (SAF).
However, an up-to-date EFA map must still be created and readily available if requested during inspections.
4. Updates to existing EFA options
Alongside the introduction of new EFA options, several existing EFA options have been updated.
These include:
- Fallow: must now be a diverse mix of temporary grassland, wildflower mix, wild bird seed mix or soil conditioning crop
- Margins: revised margin width and where a new margin comprising a grass sward is to be created, it must be a diverse grass sward containing pollen-bearing plants
- Catch crop: oilseed rape and maize can now also be undersown and spot-treatment can be used to control weeds with herbicide post-harvest
- Green cover: eligible crop list has been expanded and previous grazing restrictions removed
- Nitrogen-fixing crops: eligible crop list has been expanded, crops can be harvested before August 1, revised margin widths and herbicide and fungicide application is permitted
- Hedges: revised hedge definition and dates for trimming
View the full scheme guidance here
Do the EFA requirements apply to me?
You must meet EFA requirements if:
- Your land is not fully certified organic and
- You have more than 15ha of non-organic arable land
If you meet the above two criteria, 5% of your non-organic arable land must be put into an Ecological Focus Area.
How can we help?
Navigating these changes may seem daunting at first glance but many farming operations will already be meeting elements of the EFA requirements through existing practices.
Nevertheless, at McCreath Simpson & Prentice, our team of BASIS qualified farm traders are trained across all aspects of small seed management and whatever your requirements we will have an option for you.
Our dedicated team at our Berwick-upon-Tweed grass seed blending plant produce many of our mixtures in-house, using first-choice varieties from the SAC and NIAB recommended lists, allowing us to maintain the performance and consistency of our proven small seed mixture range.
Get in touch
If you are interested in planning your EFA options and would like tailored advice or seed recommendations contact your farm rep, get in touch via email at grass-seed@mspagriculture.co.uk or call us on 01289 330022.
You can also view our grass and small seed offering by clicking here.
