MEPs adopted new rules introducing more flexibility and support for farmers in complying with the EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP).
The preliminary agreement, reached by Parliament and Council negotiators on 10 November 2025, was adopted by 629 votes to 17 and with 16 abstentions.
Support to small farmers
The co-legislators agreed that small farms can be supported with up to €3,000 of annual financial support, instead of an initial €2,500 proposed by the Commission and an additional new one-off business development payment of up to €75,000, rising from the previously proposed €50,000.
Environmental requirements
To help preserve biodiversity and spare farmers the expensive and labour-intensive task of ploughing their fields, the new rules ensure land classified as arable as of 1 January 2026 will retain this designation, even if it has not been ploughed, tilled, or reseeded.
Farmers certified as organic will automatically be considered as having met the Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) standards requirements for the parts of their farms that are either already organic or in the process of being converted to organic farming. Member States will be allowed to limit this simplification in case controls would create high administrative burden.
Fewer on-the-spot checks
Inspections will take place according to the so-called “once only” principle, so farmers will not have to undergo more than one official check on-the-spot in any given year.