Commission extends CAP check flexibilities for 2021

With restrictions still in place across the EU, the Commission adopted today rules to extend to 2021 flexibilities for carrying out checks required for CAP support. These rules aim at easing the administrative burden of national paying agencies by adapting to current circumstances while still ensuring necessary controls for CAP support.

The rules allow replacing on-farm visits by the use of alternative sources of evidence, including new technologies such as satellite imagery or geo-tagged photos. This measure ensures reliable checks while respecting restriction of movements and minimising physical contacts between farmers and inspectors. Furthermore, rules include flexibility around timing requirements for checks. This allows Member States to postpone checks, notably to a period when movement restrictions are lifted. In addition, rules comprise a reduction of the number of physical on-the-spot checks to be carried out for area and animal-related measures under direct payments and rural development, rural development investments and market measures for the fruit, vegetables, wine, olive oil and apiculture sectors.

The rules will apply retroactively to cover controls from the beginning of 2021.

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