The UK Government has announced reforms to current hemp licence regulations that it says will lift some of the red tape burden on farmers.
Expected to come into effect for the 2025 growing season, licence holders will no longer have to stipulate the field in which they intend to grow a crop, instead being able to grow hemp anywhere on a licensed farm.
Looking further ahead to the 2026 growing season, there will be an extension of the maximum period for a licence from 3 to 6 years. Additionally, those applying for a hemp cultivation licence will be able defer its start date by up to one year, allowing easier planning for farmers.
The reforms were developed in collaboration with experienced growers.
“Recognising that industrial hemp is a field-grown agricultural crop, these reforms will simplify the license application process and provide greater flexibility within the crop rotation, enabling farmers to fully realise the economic and environmental benefits of the crop,” said UK Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Daniel Zeichner.
These changes have taken a while to reach prime time – they were originally announced in April this year.
In other recent hemp regulatory news out of the UK, the nation’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has supported raising the THC limit for industrial hemp varieties to at least 0.3% – currently, it’s 0.2%. The lower level puts UK farmers at a competitive disadvantage to jurisdictions with higher thresholds. It limits the varieties available and increases the risk of “hot” crops, which must be destroyed.
In connection to this, the ACMD is also supportive of applying the lower licence fee of £580 for a first-time licence, which would otherwise be £4,700 for crops above 0.2% but below 0.3%.
Industrial hemp has struggled in modern times in the UK since the end of prohibition due in part to onerous regulations. It’s a far cry from the times of King Henry VIII, who made cultivation compulsory by law in 1533 and fines were imposed on farmers who didn’t grow it. Hemp was prized as a material for rot-resistant sails, rope, and nets for the navy.
