Greece updates agricultural subsidy conditionality rules for 2026

The Greek Ministry of Rural Development and Food, in conjunction with the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE), has issued a new decision regarding the conditionality of agricultural subsidies under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). These regulations, which apply starting from the 2026 subsidy year, link payments to compliance with environmental, phytosanitary, and animal welfare standards.

Key changes include significant exemptions for smaller holdings. Farms with an eligible area of up to 10 hectares are entirely exempt from conditionality checks and penalties. From 2026, holdings with a total declared agricultural area of up to 30 hectares will also be exempt from specific controls regarding crop rotation or diversification (GAEC 7).

For larger holdings, farmers can choose between crop rotation or diversification. In the case of rotation, at least one-third of the arable land must change crops annually to ensure two different botanical genera are used over a three-year period. Additionally, new rules protect permanent pastures; the national ratio of pasture to total agricultural land must not decrease by more than 10% compared to 2018 levels. If this limit is exceeded, farmers who converted pastures to other uses may be required to revert them to pasture for at least five consecutive years.