Taming the bureaucratic monster, safeguards on imports from Ukraine, soil cover requirement will be regionally specific, rapid changes to strategic plans and more
Against the background of the ongoing protests to the farmers the ministers of agriculture discussed the current crisis and challenges in the sector.
„The outcome of our meeting shows that we are listening to farmers and hearing them loud and clear. We are committed to helping ease the pressures they face and offering them concrete solutions. The priorities for the simplification measures we have agreed will reduce the administrative burden on farmers and give them the flexibility they need. We are also looking ahead to the future to improve the position of farmers in the food supply chain while ensuring we meet our commitments to environmental sustainability.” This was stated by David Clarinval, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Self-Employed, Small and Medium Enterprises and Agriculture, Institutional Reform and Democratic Renewal
During its meeting, the Agriculture and Fisheries Council welcomed the recent solutionsannounced by the Commission, such as the partial exemption from the rules for set-aside land, the so-called Good Agricultural and Environmental Status Standard 8 ( GESA 8 ), the withdrawal of the proposal for a Regulation on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides ( SUR ) and the additional safeguards in the proposed renewal of autonomous trade measures on imports from Ukraine.
As part of the exchange of views the Council
discuss short-term measures aimed at simplifying and reducing the administrative burden,
faced by farmers and stressed that the EU must respond to farmers’ concerns.
The Council is basing this discussion on proposals made by Member States before today’s meeting, as well as on a document containing simplification measures forwarded by the Commission.
They focus on reducing the administrative burden and bureaucracy for both farmers and national administrations.
One of the actions the Council agreed to is related to
changes in the rules regarding the ETS 1 standard,
which imposes a requirement to maintain permanent pasture areas stable compared to the reference year 2018 (see all HERE TODAY)
Under the EULA 1, former livestock farmers with large grazing areas who have been forced by market shocks in the meat and dairy sectors to switch to arable crop production may be asked to convert their arable land to permanent pasture. This can lead to loss of income for these farmers. The Council therefore welcomes the Commission’s proposal to amend the TEU 1 rules by mid-March to ensure that the structural changes caused by the reduction of livestock are taken into account and that farmers without livestock are not obliged to convert arable land into pastures or pastures.
As for
DES 6,
The Council invited the Commission to review the practices that are possible for covering soils to take into account regional characteristics so that farmers can benefit from increased flexibility. The Commission will consider this possibility and present guidance in April.
Another measure welcomed by ministers is the forthcoming review by the Commission of the methodology for assessing the quality of
The Area Monitoring System (AMS).
AMS is a system based on automated analysis of satellite images by Copernicus. This review, due in March 2024, will significantly help reduce the number of farm visits by national administrations, in some cases by 50% or more.
Furthermore, the Council welcomes the fact that the Commission will publish an explanatory note to clarify and clarify the use of the so-called
concept of force majeure or extraordinary circumstances.
This concept ensures that farmers who cannot meet all their CAP requirements due to extraordinary and unforeseeable events beyond their control (such as severe droughts or floods) will not be penalized. The publication of this note was well received by agriculture ministers, who had previously stressed the importance of improving communication with farmers and ensuring they have adequate information on CAP support.
The council also welcomed
the upcoming survey targeting farmers,
which the Commission will launch in March to ensure that farmers’ voices are heard. The Ministers of Agriculture underlined the importance of this process aimed at identifying the main sources of concern for farmers and understanding which elements arising from the CAP rules lead to a greater administrative burden. The results of the study, together with a detailed analysis, are due to be published by the Commission in autumn 2024.
The Council further agreed that the process of amending the
the CAP strategic plans
should be simplified. To this end, the Commission is committed to working together with Member States to help them simplify their interventions and facilitate amendments to strategic plans.
In addition to these short-term actions aimed at simplifying the daily lives of farmers and reducing the administrative burden for both farmers and national administrations, ministers stressed that a long-term approach is also needed. The Council therefore insisted on exploring ways to improve the situation of farmers in the medium and long term, including their
position in the food supply chain .
The Council also insisted that a review of the main acts of the Common Agricultural Policy was needed. This review should begin as soon as possible.
In this regard, the Council underlined its determination and political will to provide an effective response to the concerns expressed by farmers.
With this overarching goal in mind, Agriculture Ministers have provided policy guidance to enhance the role of farmers as guarantors of our food security, while ensuring that our environmental sustainability commitments are met. This will require targeted changes to the CAP’s core acts, balancing the effects of trade agreements and helping Ukrainian agricultural exports to reach their traditional markets.
The council invited
The Special Committee on Agriculture to continue
to consider proposals and proposals discussed by Ministers in accordance with the policy guidelines provided by Ministers and to report to the Council.
In parallel, the strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture launched by the Commission will continue to identify ways to improve the CAP in the long term. The Presidency emphasized the importance of ensuring that Member States’ voices are heard in this process.
Finally, the Presidency concluded that it would report the results of the Council meeting to the European Council.
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