EU says farm satellite data can be used as compliance evidence
Inspectors arriving at the farm gates could be a thing of the past, following the European Commission’s adoption of new rules last week which for the first time expressly allow modern technologies to be used when checking area-based CAP payments.
In particular, the new rules which came into force last week will allow data from the EU’s Copernicus Sentinel satellites, and other Earth observation data, to be used as evidence, when checking farmers’ fulfilment of requirements under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for area-based payments (either direct payments to farmers or rural development support payments), as well as cross-compliance requirements.
It is billed as part of the EU’s ongoing bid to simplify and modernise the CAP,
The new rules include the possibility to completely replace physical checks on farms with a system of automated checks based on analysis of Earth observation data.
Other new forms of evidence such as geo-tagged photos, information from drones (unmanned aerial vehicles), and relevant supporting documentation from farmers, such as seed labels, will also be acceptable for the first time, as part of a broader shift towards a so-called ‘monitoring approach’, leading to a decrease in on-farm checks.
Visits to the field will only be necessary when the digital evidence is not sufficient to verify compliance.
European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan said: “This new satellite technology will significantly reduce the number of field inspections, removing the climate of fear, which causes significant stress for farmers.
"It will also benefit public administrations, by reducing the costs of administering controls and checks. It is thus a win-win for farmers and administrators.”
Under current CAP rules, EU member states are required to carry out a number of checks on farms as part of the Integrated Administration and Control System, which ensures that any payments made to farmers from the CAP budget are made correctly.
The new rules will allow member states that wish to do so to eventually replace, or complement, on-site checks, by using automated and less burdensome controls instead.
Several member states have already indicated their intention to immediately start using new technologies such as geo-tagged photos (photos associated with a geographical location, by using GPS or manual geotagging).
