The European Commission adopted this Tuesday a partial exemption from the fallow obligations provided for in the CAP. A demand dear to farmers.
Brussels took a step towards European farmers this Tuesday, February 13. The European Commission has agreed to return to a highly contested measure of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) voted in 2023: the fallow obligation. According to this standard, to receive European aid, farmers are required to leave at least 4% of their arable land fallow or non-productive areas.
A partial exemption for 2024
The measure, which aims to limit overexploitation of land, involves a significant loss of income for operators. So much so that its revision has become one of the main demands of the agricultural movements which have crossed the continent since the beginning of the year. This Tuesday, the European Commission recognized the difficulties caused by the fallow rule and decided on a partial exemption for the year 2024.
This exemption provides that farmers will be able to include intermediate or nitrogen-fixing crops, such as lentils or peas, in the 4% of land, provided they do not use phytosanitary products. Thus, the Commission concludes, operators will be “subject to fewer restrictions on the way they use arable land, and this will limit income losses, while guaranteeing certain environmental benefits”.