The Ministry of Agriculture is facilitating sustainable farming with new simplifications

(Photo: Pixabay)

The State Secretary explained that the experiences of the past almost two years − during the implementation of the new agricultural financing cycle and the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan − show that the administrative burdens of farmers must be reduced and the room for manoeuvre for production decisions must be expanded. This is the only way for the sector to adapt to the changing natural and market environment. The ministry’s main goal is therefore to ensure predictable and fair conditions in the extremely popular Agro-ecological Program (AÖP) − in which this year around 73 thousand farmers have joined, with a total area of ​​4.3 million hectares −.

József Viski emphasized that by further refining the AÖP sanction system, they intend to ensure that minor omissions do not entail disproportionate legal consequences

Therefore, territorial deviations of up to 3 percent or negligible errors occurring during the fulfillment of the chosen farming practices will not entail any sanctions. The amendment also significantly eases the sanction system by increasing the amount of support payable by 15 percentage points in the event of partial fulfillment of the program’s conditions. In the event of a failure of up to 30 percent, the amount of support payable will be 65 percent instead of 50, and in the event of a failure of up to 50 percent, the amount of support payable will be 45 percent instead of 30. Another ongoing amendment to the regulation will also reduce the administrative burden on farmers by extending the deadline for reporting certain agrotechnical operations and simplifying the rules for reporting them. It is important that these amendments should also apply to applications submitted in 2025, he stressed. The State Secretary underlined that the most important goal is to ease the burden and ensure that those concerned can access the desired funds in a timely and effective manner.

AM