Hogan unveils yellow-card system for minor CAP errors

EU farm commissioner Phil Hogan is to introduce a yellow-card system for CAP fines, such as unintentional mistakes for land declarations.

It will only apply to first offenders where the overdeclaration is minor – below 10% of the area determined. In such cases, the administrative penalty would be cut in half.

Farmers who receive a yellow card will be registered and made subject to an on-the-spot control the following year.

See also: CAP rules simplification is ‘top priority’

Mr Hogan unveiled plans for the system at a meeting of EU farm minister in Strasbourg on Monday (18 January) as part of a raft of new measures aimed at simplifying the CAP.

How the yellow-card system will work

Under the current system, if a farmer declares more than 10% over his land area, he/she is paid only for the actual land area and penalised twice the difference.

However, with the yellow-card system, the  penalty would be halved if he is a first offender.

Mr Hogan also announced two further measures aimed at reducing the number of errors and penalties.

1) Preliminary checks of aid applications

This will allow farmers to make corrections to their aid applications up to 35 days after the final date of submission without any penalties.

2) Simplification package on administrative penalties

The current system for the calculation of penalties is based on different categories that can result in penalties of more than double than what is overdeclared.

However, the different categories will be replaced by a simple penalty, which is 1.5 times the area overdeclared. This reduced level of penalties, when approved, would apply for 2016.

Small overdeclarations that are up to 3% of the area declared or 2ha would continue to not be penalised.

See also: Brussels seeks farmer views on CAP greening rules

Scottish MEP Alyn Smith, Scotland’s only representative on the European Parliament’s agriculture committee, welcomed the new CAP simplification measures.

He said: “It is a source of quite justifiable frustration for farmers that relatively minor and unintentional mistakes can lead to quite serious reductions in payment. 

“These proposals mark an important step towards eliminating that frustration, and are welcome relief for farmers.”

Meanwhile, a full investigation into the effects of the first year of CAP greening rules, based on an ongoing public consultation, is under way. The consultation is open until 8 March.