The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has initiated this Friday the public hearing and information process for the draft royal decree that modifies several regulations of the Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy (Pepac), with the aim of introducing technical adjustments based on the experience accumulated during its first three years of application.
According to the department, as stated in a press release, the public hearing period will remain open until June 25 inclusive, during which citizens and entities may send their observations to the email address provided for this purpose.
The ministry details that, through the revision of four royal decrees and one ministerial order, it aims to "reinforce the clarity, coherence, and effectiveness of the regulatory framework" of the CAP, incorporating improvements derived from the management of the first three campaigns.
Among the most relevant changes, "clarifications" are incorporated into Royal Decree 1045/2022, which regulates basic income support rights for sustainability, regarding cases where the transfer of said rights without land is exempt from the toll when they are intended for new farmers, a measure aimed at "facilitating generational renewal" and providing greater legal certainty.
Regarding Royal Decree 1047/2022, which establishes the system for managing and controlling interventions, flexibility measures are introduced in controls and the system is updated by allowing the use of georeferenced photographs or alternative sources to Sentinel satellites, while reinforcing ex-post inspections to verify that irrigation is not installed in vineyards converted to dry farming.
On the other hand, the modification of Royal Decree 1048/2022, relating to the application of direct payments and common requirements, incorporates "administrative simplification to avoid duplication of burdens for members of community feedlots" and clarifies how to declare plots, also correcting typos detected in the current wording.
Likewise, in Royal Decree 147/2023, which sets the rules for imposing penalties, the reform seeks to reinforce the coherence of the system by specifying the calculation method for the determined area in cases where the thresholds or percentages required in certain eco-regime practices are not met, with the aim of achieving a more "homogeneous and transparent" application.
Lastly, Order APA/204/2023 corrects inconsistencies regarding the minimum graphic cultivation boundaries in which the land tenure regime and the NIF of the lessor, assignor, or sharecropper must be indicated, a requirement that is currently applied to areas larger than one hectare as provided for in article 18 of Royal Decree 1047/2022.