The European Commission has issued a document providing guidance on how member states should aim to design agri-environmental schemes in the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post 2027.

The document outlines "best practices" for agri-environmental and climate action in the next CAP, and is likely to feed into how EU member states design their new agri-environment measures after 2027.

Compared to the current CAP, the report from the commission envisages more of the same in some respects, but some notable potential changes in others.

According to the commission, post-2027 schemes should promote actions to adopt "beneficial farming practices" on all types of land to "maximise" environmental and climate outcomes.

Those actions should aim for "additionality" so that there is a transition of a significant number of farmers towards these types of actions.

However, the report also said that schemes where beneficial practices are already underway should be rewarded, where there is a risk of the practices being abandoned.

The commission also suggests that specific schemes for animal welfare should be included in future plans.

New agri-environmental schemes should also support moves to national certification schemes, organic farming, regenerative agriculture and other "holistic farm" approaches, the commission believes.

Farm payments should also be aligned to efforts, risks, and territorial contexts faced by farmers; and should also be based on "package" actions with several practices available, rather than supporting specific or isolated practices.

The capacity of advisory services should be strengthened, the report says.

It is also suggests that member states develop "comprehensive strategies", using the CAP "toolbox", such as combining payments for Natura 2000 and the Water Framework Directive, where applicable.

Member states should also continue planning multi-annual commitments, although the report suggests that annual commitments could be more appropriate for some types of actions, and can encourage farmer uptake.

The report says member states should develop results-based schemes, as these make it possible to ensure and measure environmental outcomes, and leaves "more leeway to farmers to decide how best to achieve the outcomes".

The commission suggested that collective actions on landscapes - like the Co-operation Approach under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) - should be included in future CAP plans.

On monitoring, the commission report says that satellite monitoring should be used where possible, supported by administrative cross-checks and risk-based on-site inspections.

Timely feedback should be provided to farmers so that potential issues can be corrected early, reducing errors and any penalties.

AECAs

The report from the commission is aimed at the development of what in the new CAP will be called 'agri-environment and climate actions' (AECAs).

The commission says the future CAP "introduces a simpler framework" for environmental and climate action, with AECAs acting as a single instrument, which are intended to merge the two aspects of the current system, namely eco-schemes and agri-environmental and climate commitments (AECCs).

This is intended to "simplify the policy framework and improve the effectiveness of support", according to the commission.

Overall, the commission identified six "key factors" for the design of future AECAs:

Clear and well-designed practices, combined with adequate incentive payments;
Strong farmer uptake and consistency between interventions;
Targeting measures to regional, environmental and farm-level needs;
Result-based approaches rewarding measurable outcomes;
Collective approaches enabling action at landscape level;
Robust monitoring and control systems ensuring credibility and reliability.