Greening rules are changing for 2026

This week, the Scottish Government has announced big changes to Ecological Focus Area (EFA).

These changes impact two groups of farmers. First, those already doing EFAs who may not realise that the rules have changed, and their current practices might no longer count. Second, farmers who’ve never had to worry about EFAs before, like many in the dairy sector or those with more grassland, are now being brought into the scheme for the first time.

Compliance accounts for roughly a third of a farmer’s total subsidy payment, paid essentially as a top-up to their Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) income, equating to an additional £75 per hectare.

Farmers should receive a letter in the post with details of the changes. However, this guidance is dense, technical and sometimes contradictory. We have created a document summarising the updates which you can access below.

It is crucial that you take the time to understand this guidance change quickly, as it may affect decisions regarding autumn cropping.

Our team are already working to help clients get to grips with the change, select viable EFA options and plan their sowing with compliance in mind. We encourage clients to contact Jenni Douglas should require assistance or to gain a clearer understanding of the requirements – jenni.douglas@fbrseed.com.

Click this link to read our EFA summary document – EFA 2026 guidance