By the end of the year, the government intends to adopt a draft bill providing for the introduction of a new eco-scheme related to low-emission cattle production, according to the government's list of legislative work. Farmers will be rewarded for feeding animals appropriately in a way that will reduce methane emissions.
This concerns a draft amendment to the Act on the Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy for 2023-2027, being prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture. According to the government's list of legislative work, the draft bill would be adopted by the Council of Ministers by the end of this year.
According to the published assumptions, the new regulations are intended to introduce, among other things, a new eco-scheme, “Low-Emission Cattle Production.” “The new eco-scheme provides financial support for farmers keeping cattle who decide to change the animals’ feeding practices, i.e. for feeding cattle according to a feeding scheme that includes specified feed additives and feed materials that reduce methane emissions,” it was explained.
The amendment is also intended to change the rules for granting payments to small farms and for determining the amount of support. Farmers with no more than 5 ha of agricultural land could receive payments under the eco-schemes. At the same time, it is proposed that support rates be set by regulation rather than by statute.
A change is also planned that would allow the Minister of Agriculture, in agreement with the Minister of Finance, to issue guidelines on the allocation of funds under the Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy, under which the available funding limit for a given investment would be higher than that set out in the financial tables of the CAP Strategic Plan.
“The available funding amounts included in the calls for applications’ rules will be updated on the basis of the revised guidelines. Consequently, the bodies competent to decide on the granting of aid will be able to award aid up to a specified amount exceeding the funding level set out in the Plan,” the list stated.
Applying this solution will accelerate the process of granting aid and disbursing funds without the need to wait for a change to the Plan. This will give beneficiaries additional time to carry out their operations.
The launch of the new eco-scheme and changes to the granting of payments for small farms would come into effect on 15 March 2027, that is, from the start of the application period for area-based payments in the 2027 campaign. (PAP)
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