We analyse the net impacts and the coherence of the ecological focus area (EFA) in Germany. The empirical results show that farmers prefer productive EFA options and refrain from those EFA options that focus on for biodiversity. Empirical results show that simplicity is an important argument for the selection of EFA options, and that larger farms tend to use fallow more frequently. In some German federal states, farmers can combine EFA with Agri Environmental and Climate measures (AECM). However, this option is not predominantly selected. Finally, we provide suggestions to raise the effectiveness of the EFA regulation through better policy integration and simplification.