Background Pillar 1 Greening
24.Greening was introduced from 2015 as part of the 2013 CAP reforms to improve the environmental performance of farming. A new Greening payment “for agricultural practices beneficial for the climate and environment” was introduced, and is paid on top of the BPS payment.
25.It is mandatory for applicants to the BPS to comply with the Greening requirements, which cover permanent grassland, crop diversification and ecological focus areas (where relevant on their land) in order to receive the Greening payment.
26.It is also a mandatory requirement for Member States to allocate 30% of their direct payment budget to the Greening payment.