The European Commission sent the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council, on Thursday 22 February, a non-paper outlining the first possible measures to help reduce the administrative burden on farmers.
This document, which will be discussed at the ‘Agriculture’ Council on 26 February, lists a series of short- and medium-term actions that can be taken to achieve simplification (see other news).
In March, the Commission will launch an online survey aimed directly at farmers. This targeted consultation will help to identify their main sources of concern and to understand the sources of administrative burden and complexity stemming from CAP rules and other EU rules on food and agriculture in the EU and their application at national level. By the summer, this survey will already provide a clearer picture of the main administrative obstacles perceived and faced by farmers. Its results will be included in a more detailed analysis to be published in autumn 2024.
The Commission is proposing short- and medium-term measures that could bring some relief to both farmers and national administrations.
First of all, the Commission is proposing to simplify some of the conditionality requirements (GAECs or good agricultural and environmental conditions).
The Commission has already granted a partial exemption for 2024 on rules on land lying fallow, the so-called GAEC 8.
It proposes amending GAEC 1, which imposes a requirement to keep areas of permanent grassland in the EU stable since reference year 2018 (see EUROPE 13354/4). Under this requirement, former livestock farmers with large grassland, forced to shift to arable crops production because of market disturbances in the meat and dairy sector, could be asked to reconvert their arable land into permanent grassland. This obligation could lead to a loss of income for the farmers concerned. The Commission is proposing to amend these rules by mid-March to ensure that structural changes due to market reorientation and the reduction in livestock numbers are taken into account, ensuring that farmers are not penalised in their work, and helping to reduce burden since fewer areas would have to be reconverted into permanent grassland.
The Commission will also review what farming practices may be possible during sensitive periods when it comes to fulfilling the obligation to cover soil under GAEC 6. The Commission is also encouraging all stakeholders to share their views on the administrative burden that may be linked to the Nitrates Directive.
Secondly, the Commission is proposing to simplify the methodology for certain checks, with the aim of reducing the number of on-farm visits by national administrations by up to 50% (rationalising and clarifying the procedures for assessing the quality of the Area Monitoring System). With fewer visits from the authorities to manage, farmers will have more time to devote to their core business.
Finally, it proposes to clarify the use of the concept of ‘force majeure’ and ‘exceptional circumstances’. This legal concept allows farmers who are unable to meet all CAP requirements due to exceptional and unforeseeable events beyond their control (such as in cases of severe drought or flooding) to not have penalties imposed on them. This clarification will support national administrations in the application of this provision and ensure its uniform application across the Union. It will also improve the certainty of obtaining CAP aid for farmers impacted by such unfortunate events. More generally, the Commission will work with the Member States to identify possible ways of rationalising controls.
Change in Basic Acts. In its document, the Commission also mentions additional medium-term measures that may ease burdens for farmers, especially smaller farmers, and may consider proposing changes to that effect to the CAP basic Regulations adopted in 2021.
One of the proposals put forward could be to exempt small farms of less than 10 hectares from controls related to compliance with conditionality requirements (GAECs). This exemption would considerably simplify the daily work of small farmers who represent 65% of CAP beneficiaries, while maintaining the CAP’s environmental ambitions since small farms cover only 9,6% of the areas receiving CAP support. In addition, should the basic regulations be changed in the mid-term, GAEC 8 on land lying fallow, GAEC 7 on crop rotation and GAEC 6 on soil cover could be reviewed to further reduce burden for farmers.
At the same time, the Commission will facilitate the exchange of best simplification practices by Member States across the different relevant bodies of cooperation (i.e., expert groups, committees and others).
These suggestions will feed into the debates of the European agriculture ministers, who sometimes take up these ideas. To see the Commission’s non-paper: https://aeur.eu/f/ayn (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)