Definitive green light for reform of European agricultural policy

Flexibility in conditionality

The reform changes the rules for three conditionalities, which are environmental conditions that farmers must meet to receive subsidies. In concrete terms, this concerns the permanent deletion of the rule that obliges farmers to use three or four percent of their area as non-productive area, such as fallow land (GAEC8). There is a financial incentive for farmers who decide on a voluntary basis to leave part of their arable land fallow or, for example, to plant hedges or trees.

In addition, farmers will now also be able to be more flexible with crop rotation on their land (GAEC 7). Farmers will be able to choose to diversify crops, instead of the obligation to grow a different crop on one third of the arable land than the previous year. The requirement for minimum ground cover during sensitive periods is also relaxed (GAEC 6). Member States will have more flexibility in determining what they define as a sensitive period and what practices are allowed for farmers to meet this requirement.

In addition to these adjustments to the environmental conditions, all smaller companies of less than ten hectares will be exempt from inspections and fines for non-compliance with certain CAP rules. Finally, national governments are also given the opportunity to adjust their national agricultural plans twice a year and to temporarily deviate from certain conditions in the event of unforeseen climate circumstances.