The European Commission has sent a document to the Belgian presidency outlining the first possible actions to contribute to reducing the administrative burden on farmers.

The document, which will be discussed with the Member States in the Agriculture Council, lists a series of short- and medium-term actions that can be taken to simplify. This will serve as a basis for discussions and joint actions with EU countries.

The actions outlined in the document take into account the contributions of national administrations, major agricultural organizations in the EU, and the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture. The simplification document responds to President von der Leyen's commitment made at the European Council.

The performance model of the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), based on the CAP strategic plans decided and implemented at the national level, already represents a step forward in terms of simplification and subsidiarity compared to the previous period.

Member States play an essential role in keeping the administrative burden on farmers at a limited and proportionate level to achieve EU legislative objectives. This is why any successful simplification exercise must be carried out in close cooperation with national administrations and farmers themselves.

In this context, the Commission will launch an online survey directly addressed to farmers in March. This specific consultation will help identify their main sources of concern and understand the sources of administrative burden and complexity arising from CAP rules, as well as other EU rules for food and agriculture in the EU, and their implementation at the national level.

This survey will provide a clearer picture by summer of the main perceived administrative obstacles facing farmers. Its results will be included in a more detailed analysis to be published in the autumn of 2024.

In addition to this necessary evidence collection, the Commission proposes short- and medium-term measures that could provide assistance to both farmers and national administrations, which represent the first point of contact for farmers and are responsible for managing and disbursing EU funds.

Firstly, the Commission proposes simplifying some of the conditionality requirements that EU farmers must comply with. The set of basic standards - called GAEC (Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions) - that all farmers must comply with to receive CAP support has proven difficult to implement under certain circumstances.

The Commission has already taken steps by granting a partial derogation from fallow land rules for 2024, the so-called GAEC 8. Currently, the Commission proposes amending the rules regarding the first standard (GAEC 1), which requires maintaining permanent pasture areas in the EU stable from the 2018 reference year.

Under this requirement, former large pasture animal breeders forced to switch to arable crop production due to market disruptions in the meat and dairy sectors could be required to convert their arable land back to permanent pastures. This obligation could lead to income losses for the affected farmers.

The Commission proposes modifying these rules by mid-March to ensure that structural changes caused by market realignment and reductions in livestock numbers are taken into account, ensuring that farmers are not penalized in their activities and contributing to the reduction of the burden, as fewer areas would need to be converted to permanent pastures.

The Commission will also review agricultural practices that may be possible during sensitive periods when meeting the obligation to cover soils under GAEC 6. Additionally, the Commission encourages all stakeholders to share their views on the administrative burden related to the Nitrates Directive. This can be done through the open online public consultation until March 8, 2024.

Secondly, the Commission proposes streamlining the methodology for certain controls to reduce the number of farm visits made by national administrations by up to 50%. This measure directly responds to requests from Member States.

The Commission proposes rationalizing and clarifying the assessment of the quality of the surface monitoring system. The latter is a system based on automated satellite image analysis under the Copernicus program, aimed at reducing farm inspections, helping farmers avoid errors and sanctions, and facilitating reporting.

With fewer visits from the administration to manage them, farmers will have more time to dedicate to their core activities.

Thirdly, the Commission proposes clarifying the use of the force majeure concept and exceptional circumstances. This legal concept allows farmers who cannot meet all CAP requirements due to exceptional and unforeseeable events beyond their control (such as severe droughts or floods) to avoid sanctions.

This clarification will support national administrations in applying this provision and ensure its uniform application throughout the Union. This will also improve the certainty of obtaining CAP support for farmers affected by such unfortunate events. At a more general level, the Commission will work with Member States to establish possible ways to streamline checks.

In its document, the Commission also mentions additional medium-term measures that could reduce burdens for farmers, especially for smaller farmers, and may consider proposing changes to the basic CAP regulations agreed upon by the European Parliament and the Council in 2021 in this regard.

One proposal presented may be the exemption of small farms with an area of less than 10 hectares from compliance checks with conditionality requirements (GAEC). This waiver would significantly simplify the daily activities of small farmers, who represent 65% of CAP beneficiaries, while maintaining the environmental ambitions of the CAP, as small farms cover only 9.6% of the areas receiving support under the CAP.

Additionally, if the basic regulations were to be modified in the medium term, GAEC 8 on fallow land, GAEC 7 on crop rotation, and GAEC 6 on soil coverage could be reviewed to further reduce the burden on farmers.

In parallel, the Commission will facilitate the exchange of best simplification practices by Member States among various relevant cooperation bodies (namely, expert groups, committees, and others).

When analyzing simplification proposals, the Commission has considered the effects of these proposals on environmental objectives and the ambition of the Common Agricultural Policy. They also ensure the continuation of a stable and predictable legislative framework for EU farmers based on the current CAP, which entered into force on January 1, 2023.

To further address the current crisis situation in the agricultural sector, the Commission is also working on actions to improve the position of farmers in the food chain and protect them against unfair trading practices, which will be presented soon.

Given that farmers are often the most vulnerable link in the food value chain, these actions can cover aspects such as market transparency, trading practices in the value chain, production costs, or more consistent enforcement of existing rules on imported agricultural products.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said:

"The Commission remains fully committed to providing solutions to alleviate the pressure currently felt by our agriculture, with its workforce, women, and men. We are reducing the administrative burden on our farmers to help ensure the food security of European citizens. Simplifying our agricultural policies is a constant priority, both at the EU and national levels. Through this series of actions, we are fulfilling our commitment to our farmers to accelerate this discussion. I look forward to the opinions of our Member States."