Back in June, the Scottish Government announced one of the largest changes we have seen so far to agricultural policy and direct payments since the announcement of the Agricultural Reform Route Map in 2023.

In this blog, I’m covering the key information around what has changed with the new Ecological Focus Area (EFA) rules and will take a look at the requirements for the Single Farm Payment.

What do growers need to do for the Single Farm Payment in 2026?

As a simple overview, the below components will need to be in place to qualify for payments:

1. Cross Compliance requirements must be met on farm.

These have not changed since last year, though it is worth being aware that new requirements were added last year to protect peatlands and wetlands. These additions kept Scottish requirements in line with those in the EU.

2. Meet EFA Enhanced Greening requirements.

The new requirements will come into force on 1st January 2026. For the remainder of 2025, you must abide by the existing EFA rules.

3. Meet Whole Farm Plan requirements (see the graphic below).

For 2026, as it was in 2025, you will need to meet two of the five requirements of the Whole Farm Plan to receive the Single Farm Payment. As a reminder, by 2028 (at the latest), all of the requirements that apply to an individual farm business should be recorded.

4. Submit a completed and eligible Single Application Form by the 15th May 2026 deadline.

Whole Farm Plan

EFA Enhanced Greening

The most notable change to the previous EFA requirements is undoubtedly the removal of all the previous exemptions for temporary and managed grassland.

You can use the flow-chart below to establish if you will have to complete EFA Enhanced Greening in 2026. In simple terms, if you have more than 15ha of arable land and are not certified organic, you will have an EFA requirement in 2026.

For 2026, your EFA Enhanced Greening requirement remains at 5% of your total arable area. For those new to the EFA requirement, it will potentially require some immediate changes, so I strongly recommend planning ahead now so you can fit it into your wider rotation and farm plans.

For those who may not need to adapt quite so quickly due to existing actions already being in place, my advice is still to consider your longer terms plans as in 2027, the arable EFA requirement will rise to 7% of your arable land.

An example of how to calculate your requirement could look like:

Total area of holding = 125ha

Total arable area = 100ha

EFA Requirement (5%) = 5ha (5% of your 100ha arable area)

What are your EFA Enhanced Greening options for 2026?

There are four new options available to growers in 2026 alongside the existing seven, giving you greater flexibility to meet your requirement in a way that fits in with your business. The table below lists all the available options and their weightings.

As a reminder on weightings, if your total EFA requirement was 3ha you could meet that with 3ha of fallow (3x1) or 10ha of green cover (10x0.3).

CropCast podcast

I recently joined agricultural consultant, George Chalmers to talk all things cover crops on the Farm Advisory Service’s CropCast podcast. In the episode, we discussed the detail and definitions of different cropping options on farm, the benefits they can deliver within the wider rotation and the considerations needed in light of new policy for 2026.

You can listen here: https://www.fas.scot/podcast/cropcast-cover-crops/

In this follow-up blog we look more closely at the individual EFA Enhanced Greening options, reviewing what has changed with the existing scheme and what’s now required going forward. Both the existing and new options present opportunities to build resilience into your rotation if used correctly.

For now, if you have any questions about the latest agricultural policy updates in Scotland, or would like advice on how best to access the right kind of funding for your farm, speak to the team on 0800 227 445 or email us at info@frontierag.co.uk.