Ireland proposes new ‘active farmer’ definition for post-2027 CAP

The Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union has proposed a new framework for defining an ‘active farmer’ within the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period following 2027. Under this proposal, an active farmer must engage in at least a minimum level of agricultural activity.

Member states would be granted significant flexibility to establish specific criteria for determining agricultural activity and eligible land for subsidies. Proposed criteria include income levels, labor performed on the farm, the purpose of the enterprise, and registration in national or regional agricultural registries. Member states may also implement a ‘negative list’ to exclude certain beneficiaries from being classified as active farmers.

To reduce administrative burdens, the proposal includes provisions for smaller beneficiaries. Farmers who received up to 5,000 euros from specific CAP subsidies in the previous year could be automatically recognized as active farmers without undergoing the detailed inspections required for others.

The definition also seeks to clarify ‘agricultural activity’ to align with European Union obligations toward the World Trade Organization (WTO). The proposal suggests that agricultural activity can encompass both the production of goods and the maintenance of agricultural land, aiming to keep such measures within the WTO ‘Green Box’ category, which includes measures considered to have minimal trade distortion.