From next year, a prior conditionality will be introduced in the social sphere for beneficiaries of direct payments. Publication of methodology follows
Approved with changes in the Strategic Plan for the development of agriculture and rural areas 2023 – 2027, which will provide an opportunity for greater flexibility in compliance with certain environmental conditions by farmers, easing the conditions for implementing interventions and their administration. The changes made are to be sent for approval by the services of the European Commission. This became clear during a meeting of Monitoring Committee (MC)who approved the Second Amendment to the Strategic Plan. “The aim is to adapt the interventions better to the needs of farmers, as well as to speed up the implementation so that the goals set in the Strategic Plan are achieved,” explained the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Lozana Vasileva.
In the field of direct payments The Eco scheme for maintaining and improving biological diversity and ecological infrastructure (Eco-BREI) has been supplemented with the practice of creating new elements of the landscape – buffer strips, as well as the additional possibility of using fallow areas within a maximum of 7% of the arable land in the farm, to fulfill the requirements of the intervention.
The possibility of supporting the buffer strips from the applied one is provided The eco scheme for ecological maintenance of permanent plantations.
Expands the scope of the eco scheme for extensive maintenance of permanently grassed areas (Eco-PZP). In this way, farmers raising grazing animals who have arable land occupied with fodder and protein crops will also have the opportunity to receive intervention support.
At interventions in the field of organic agriculture, environment and climate and animal welfare the conditions for the implementation and observance of multi-year commitments are eased.
With the amendment of the Strategic Plan from January 1, 2025. the mechanism of prior conditionality will be introduced in the social sphere for all farmers receiving direct payments. The application is in connection with their obligations as employers in compliance with the requirements related to the applicable conditions of work and employment.
“Next week, the first meeting of the working group to develop a methodology for implementing the mechanism will be held,” explained the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food, Yanislav Yanchev.
Progress in the area of direct payments and sector interventions from the Strategic Plan was also presented. According to data from the State Fund “Agriculture” for the 2023 campaign, more than BGN 1.5 billion (99.9%) have been paid out from the budget under the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund.
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