On Tuesday 12 March, the European Commission adopted a delegated regulation amending the rules on the first category of good agricultural and environmental conditions (GAEC) to take account of angry farmers’ demands.
GAEC 1 concerns the maintenance of permanent grassland based on a ratio of permanent grassland to agricultural surface area. It imposes an obligation to maintain the surface area of permanent grassland in the EU from the 2018 reference year. Under this requirement, former livestock farmers, who were forced to convert their extensive grassland to arable production due to market disruption in the meat and dairy sector, could be asked to convert their arable land back to permanent grassland. This obligation could lead to a loss of income for the farmers concerned.
The Commission has amended these rules (https://aeur.eu/f/b9e ) to ensure that the structural changes brought about by the reorientation of the market and the reduction in livestock numbers are taken into account, ensuring that farmers are not penalised for their work and helping to reduce the burden, given that fewer areas would have to be converted back to permanent grassland.
On Friday 15 March, the EU institution will adopt the following other measures: a proposal to amend the CAP rules and a document on the food supply chain (see EUROPE 13368/8). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)