“We will propose a simplified payment system for small firms. We found that a third of the beneficiaries of direct payments currently work on only 3% of the EU’s area. Nevertheless, this third must pass through the same gauntlet as a medium-sized or large farm,” Ciolos explained in the conference Mediafax Talks about Agriculture.
“[Small farmers] will receive a yearly payment per farm, between EUR500 and EUR1000. The amount will vary among member states and depend on the average value of subsidies per farm in each state,” said Ciolos. The subsidy will be a fixed amount that will remain constant between 2014 and 2020, as long as the farmer remains in business and the operation remains small.
The commissioner pointed out that the new scheme will not be open to small farms registered after 2014, to avoid fragmenting medium-sized farms.
A proposal for the EU’s rural development policy says small farmers who decide to leave the system would be encouraged to sell or lease their land to another farm, through a premium.
Ciolos also suggested changing the direct subsidy system on the basis of new objectives, firstly to support the farmers’ base income, as world food prices and production costs have risen significantly.