How does greening affect farm behaviour? Trade-off between commitments and sanctions in the Northern Italy

Although the overall greening impact is low, some specific areas and productions are affected to a greater extent: greening causes a decrease in maize and, in some contexts, in wheat which are replaced by nitrogen-fixing crop surfaces. The consequent average income reduction is lower than 0.5% (− 7 €/ha) and almost all farms choose to fully apply the greening constraints in order to avoid sanctions. The weakening of greening measures during negotiations, the amount of greening payments and the sanctions system are strong incentives for farmers to fully comply with the greening practices.