Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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349. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way his Department plans to implement revised definitions of good agricultural environmental conditions or cross-compliance proposed for the next CAP programme ensuring that a flexible approach is adopted when implementing good agricultural environmental conditions at national level in order to minimise the impact on farmers and farm businesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27227/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Conditionality in the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will replace the current CAP cross compliance and certain current "greening" requirements. Beneficiaries of CAP farm payments must comply with the requirements of Conditionality. There are two elements to Conditionality:

1.Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAECs)

The GAECs set minimum standards that beneficiaries of CAP farm payments must adhere to. The main objectives of GAECs include climate change mitigation and adaptation, protection of water and soil quality and biodiversity, and appropriate land management.

Member States will set their national standards and implementation requirements for each GAEC, taking into account the main objective of the GAEC, and their own local needs and characteristics.

2.Statutory Management Requirements (SMRs)

The SMRs link the CAP to wider sector-specific EU legislation relating to the environment, food safety, animal health and welfare, and plant protection. As the SMRs are based on EU legislation, there is less scope for Member States to specify their own individual requirements, except in the case of the Nitrates Regulations.

Many of the SMR and GAEC standards in the current cross compliance regime will be carried over into the new Conditionality requirements. In addition, a number of the "greening" elements of the current CAP will also be covered by Conditionality under the new CAP.

Negotiations between the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Council on the new regulatory framework are ongoing. A number of technical details concerning the GAEC are not yet agreed.

Once finalised, the Department will implement the Conditionality requirements of the new CAP in line with the legislative requirements, including through exercise of the discretion afforded to it in the implementation of GAECs.