EU to simplify farm payments amid ‘climate of fear’, says Phil Hogan

The “climate of fear” for farmers applying for aid under the Common Agricultural Policy should end with the latest tranche of proposed simplification measures, according to the European Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Phil Hogan.

The penalty system for most direct payment schemes is the focus of the measures unveiled by Mr Hogan to reflect “reasonable concerns by farmers in case of unintentional mistakes while also reducing frequency of errors and therefore protecting public funds.”

First of all, preliminary checks of aid applications would allow farmers to correct their applications for a period of up to 35 days after the final date of submission without any penalties.