An annual field inspection and further changes in the Common Agricultural Policy

Parliament and Council negotiators agreed on Monday to simplify the requirements of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The preliminary agreement reached by MEPs and the Danish Presidency of the Council will ease some of the administrative and regulatory burden for farmers during the current CAP programming period. To protect biodiversity and prevent the costly and time-consuming plowing of land every five to seven years to preserve arable land, MEPs agreed that land considered arable on January 1, 2026, can retain this status even if it has not been plowed, cultivated, or resown. European deputies agreed with the Council that farmers certified as organic will be considered to automatically meet several requirements for maintaining land in good agricultural and environmental condition (GAEC) for those parts of their farms that are organic and in transition to organic farming. Member states will have the right to limit this simplification if the control would create a ...