In brief

• In the Council of the EU's position, the wording on payments for farmers in areas with natural constraints has been changed, making this support voluntary.
• In the new EU financial perspective, the separate budget for rural development disappears.
• Funds for agriculture will be included in broader regional plans, which means competition for funds.
• Potentially more than 700 thousand farms may not receive support if the state does not decide to grant payments.

Change in the rules for farmer payments

Until now, support for farmers running farms in areas with difficult conditions, such as poor soils, unfavourable climate or difficult terrain, was meant to compensate for higher production costs (Na co zgodziła się Polska? Ponad 700 tysięcy gospodarstw bez gwarancji wsparcia – RMF24). In the European Commission's original proposal, Article 8(1) required Member States to provide this support, using a term that denotes an obligation. Ministers in the Council's position changed this wording, replacing it with a formulation that gives Member States the option to decide. As a result, the payments become voluntary, and Member States may decide whether to pay them out.

Competition for funds in the new EU perspective

Financing for agriculture in the new Multiannual Financial Framework of the European Union is changing. The plan assumes eliminating the separate budget dedicated to rural development. Farmers' needs will have to compete for available funds with other expenditure on regional development.

Scale of potential lack of support

If the state does not decide to grant payments, farms requiring support may not receive them. According to data cited in the material, this concerns more than 700 thousand farms.