Farmers with holdings below 30 hectares will be exempt from GAEC 7 controls and penalties, as part of a CAP simplification proposal from MEP Maria Walsh.
Maria Walsh, who is a full member of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, submitted an amendment to the European Commission’s agricultural simplification package to protect smaller farmers from overly cumbersome GAEC 7 regulations.
MEP Walsh’s proposal has been accepted by the institutions of the European Union and is now included in the new CAP simplification package, which is expected to enter into force as of 2026. It will apply to all farmers with holdings below 30 hectares (74 acres).
MEP Walsh has hailed this as a victory for smaller tillage farmers across Ireland and the EU which will relieve them from burdensome crop rotation and diversification regulations, and encourage generational renewal in the sector. The inclusion of her proposal in the final package demonstrates the effectiveness of pragmatic, farmer-focused policymaking.
Maria Walsh MEP said:
“This is a real win for our small farmers, and a real win for common sense. From day one, I have been calling for fairer, simpler rules that actually work for the people producing our food. To date, farmers with holdings under 10 hectares (24.7 acres) have been exempt from GAEC 7 rules – however this will now increase to all farms up to 30 hectares (74 acres).
“I initially proposed this exemption because the one-size-fits-all approach to farm regulation simply doesn’t work. Many farmers with small holdings between 10 – 30 hectares have been buried in paperwork and penalties for rules that made little sense for their scale of operation.
“Small farmers should be supported, not penalised by bureaucracy. They are the backbone of rural communities right across Ireland, and they deserve a CAP that helps them thrive.
“I’m delighted that my proposal has now been adopted at EU level. It shows that when we listen to farmers, we can make real, positive change that puts fairness back at the heart of agricultural policy.”
Other elements within the new CAP Simplification Package include:
- New crisis payments established for farmers for natural disasters, adverse climatic events or catastrophic events. The funding for these should only come from the rural development pillar.
- Creation of a new €75,000 payment under the rural development pillar for rural business start-ups and the business development of small farms. The lump sum payment for small farm schemes increased from current €1,250 to €3,000.
- Possibility to make advance payments from up to 50% for direct payments to up to 70%, and from up to 75% for rural development interventions to up to 85%.
- Possibility for Member States to provide additional support from Pillar I and Pillar II to farmers for complying with GAEC 2 and 9 obligations by removing them from the baseline obligations.
- A single on-the-spot check per farm per year agreed.
- Recognition of organically certified or in-conversion farms as automatically complying with most of the GAEC standards.
- Member States will be able to allocate money through Pillar II for raising purebred cattle, sheep or goats with high genetic value, intended for reproduction, in order to improve the quality and productivity of livestock or for the conservation of rare or local breeds.