Farmers should take action to prevent the spread of Japanese knotweed on their farms, or risk breaching cross-compliance rules and affecting their farm payments.

The Department of Agriculture has said that EU regulations governing area-based farm payments, such as BPS, greening and areas of natural constraint (disadvantaged area) and GLAS require farmers to comply with cross-compliance requirements.

These standards include seven Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) standards.

“GAEC Standard Seven requires applicants to ensure that they take appropriate measures to prevent the encroachment/proliferation of invasive plant species on to land,” a Department spokesperson told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Japanese knotweed is classified as an invasive species.

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