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On 24 September 2025, the European Parliament’s Agriculture and Rural Development Committee (AGRI) adopted its position on the proposal to simplify the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The draft resolution was approved by 38 votes in favour, 8 against and 2 abstentions, and aims to provide greater flexibility and support for farmers in complying with EU agricultural rules.
Regarding environmental requirements, MEPs supported a series of changes designed to make CAP rules more flexible. They proposed that not only farms fully certified as organic, but also those partially certified or located in special conservation areas, should automatically be considered compliant with certain Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAEC) requirements.
To protect the environment and biodiversity, MEPs also proposed to extend the period required for grassland to be considered permanent, discouraging farmers from ploughing land before the deadline for arable use. The definition would now include land not part of crop rotation and not ploughed, tilled or reseeded for at least seven years, or land not classified as arable as of 1 January 2023.
Concerning crisis payments, the committee rejected the creation of a new type of direct payment for farmers affected by natural disasters but endorsed using rural development funds for this purpose. The text adds animal disease outbreaks to the list of events eligible for support. It also proposes lowering the threshold for production or income losses from 20% to 15%, allowing more farmers to qualify for financial support through insurance or mutual funds.
MEPs further proposed to increase the maximum limits for small farm support, raising the annual payment cap to €5,000 (up from the proposed €2,500) and introducing a new one-off payment for business development of up to €75,000.
The adopted report is expected to be voted in plenary between 6–9 October, with talks with member states starting immediately afterwards, potentially allowing final adoption of the new rules in November.
24 September 2025 / European Parliament, AGRI Committee / European Union.https://www.europarl.europa.eu
