Given the recent occurrence of dry vegetation fires at the national level, the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture (APIA) once again draws farmers' attention to the prohibition of burning stubble fields and permanent grassland vegetation.

All beneficiaries of financial support from APIA, granted in the form of direct payments and certain interventions and measures for rural development, are required to comply with:

• GAEC 3 standard – Prohibition of burning stubble fields
• GAEC 10 standard – Prohibition of burning permanent grassland vegetation

These are part of the conditionality rules that farmers must adhere to.

Additionally, farmers receiving support through interventions under the National Strategic Plan (PS) 2023-2027 must comply with conditionality rules across their entire agricultural holding and throughout the entire application year.

By adhering to the GAEC 3 and GAEC 10 conditionality rules, farmers contribute to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture and maintaining soil organic matter levels by prohibiting the burning of stubble fields, dry vegetation, and plant residues on arable land, as well as permanent grassland vegetation.

The GAEC 3 standard must be followed by all farmers with arable land. Farmers using arable land must not burn stubble fields and/or crop residues left after harvesting (such as straw from cereal crops, vines from protein plants or potatoes, corn stalks, sunflower stems, rapeseed, etc.).

The GAEC 10 standard applies to all permanent grasslands nationwide.

Permanent grassland vegetation includes dry vegetation on pastures and meadows, stubble and plant residues left after grazing or hay harvesting, as well as invasive or harmful vegetation affecting the grass cover on permanent pastures.

The primary objective of GAEC 3 and GAEC 10 standards is to maintain soil organic matter levels.

To strengthen the verification measures for farmers' compliance with GAEC 3 and GAEC 10 standards, APIA has signed a Collaboration Protocol with the National Environmental Guard (G.N.M.) and the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (I.G.S.U.) regarding monitoring actions for compliance with conditionality rules prohibiting the burning of stubble fields, dry vegetation, and plant residues on arable land and permanent pastures. The protocol ensures cooperation between parties to enhance the efficiency of control actions.

According to the collaboration protocol, APIA, together with G.N.M. and I.G.S.U., prepares informational materials (posters, brochures, press releases, etc.) regarding the prohibition of burning stubble fields and dry vegetation on arable land and permanent pastures. These materials are distributed to county structures for dissemination to the public as part of public awareness campaigns.

If it is determined that a specific plot within a farm has been burned due to unknown causes, farmers can avoid penalties by promptly presenting a copy of the intervention report issued by the County Inspectorate for Emergency Situations or a copy of the complaint filed with the police department covering the area where the burning occurred. Once investigations are completed, farmers must also present a copy of the resolution document. Failure to provide these documents will result in penalties for non-compliance with GAEC 3 and GAEC 10 standards.

Documents must be issued before the control is conducted and must be valid at the time of inspection.

For more information regarding conditionality rules, please refer to:

• Order MADR/MMAP/ANSVSA No. 54/570/32/2023 for the implementation of conditionality rules within interventions in the form of direct payments and certain interventions and measures for rural development, applicable from the 2023 application year, with subsequent amendments and additions;
• The Farmer’s Guide on Conditionality, available on the APIA website: www.apia.org.ro.