EU Moves to Streamline Farm Rules and Help Farmers Compete
The European Parliament and the Council have reached a provisional agreement to simplify the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, reducing on-the-spot checks, increasing payments for small-scale farmers, and relaxing environmental requirements. The deal, known as Omnibus III, aims to save farmers up to €1.6 billion annually, but some farm groups argue it falls short of delivering a meaningful overhaul of the CAP.
The European Parliament and the Council have reached a provisional agreement to simplify the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), aiming to ease administrative burdens and strengthen the competitiveness of European agriculture.
The deal reduces on-the-spot checks to a single annual inspection and streamlines procedures for accessing support. It also increases payments for small-scale farmers and simplifies conditionality rules governing compliance with public, plant and animal health standards.
The updated framework further relaxes environmental requirements for smaller farms seeking subsidies. Organic-certified producers will also benefit, as their certification will automatically fulfill several CAP environmental and farming obligations.
The package preserves existing provisions enabling member states to deliver crisis payments to farmers affected by severe weather events or natural disasters.
Known as Omnibus III, the proposal was introduced by the European Commission in May 2025 and negotiated over several months between the Parliament and the Council. The deal marks one of the most significant efforts in recent years to simplify EU farm policy.
“Today, we took a big step to keep our promise to make EU agricultural rules simpler,” said Danish Minister for European Affairs Marie Bjerre, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Council, following the conclusion of the negotiations. “It has been a priority for the Danish presidency to reduce extra work and get rid of unnecessary rules for farmers and member states.”
The Commission estimates that the new measures could save farmers up to €1.6 billion annually and reduce administrative costs for national authorities by roughly €200 million.
Both co-legislators must formally approve the agreement before it becomes law.
Farmers across Europe have long called for simpler CAP procedures and more accessible subsidies. In February 2024, producers marched in Brussels and other major cities to demand policy changes.
However, farm groups say the new agreement falls short. They argue that reducing inspections and increasing payments for small farmers are positive steps, but not enough to deliver a meaningful CAP overhaul.
At the same time, the Commission’s earlier plan to merge agricultural and regional development funds into a single financing instrument has been abandoned following strong opposition in the European Parliament.
“Victory for the European Parliament in defending farmers and regions in the next long-term EU budget,” said Siegfried Mureșan, the European People’s Party (EPP) lead negotiator on budget matters.
The center-right EPP — the Parliament’s largest political group — positioned itself as the “party of farmers” ahead of the 2024 European elections, emphasizing its defense of rural interests.
Major farmers’ unions also opposed the proposed merger of funds, warning it would weaken the CAP and eventually reduce support for producers. “The new concepts presented by the European Commission … are purely ‘smoke and mirrors’,” Copa and Cogeca wrote in a letter to the Parliament. “The proposal appears to be an attempt to change things without changing anything.”
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EU lawmakers have reached a provisional deal to simplify the Common Agricultural Policy, easing administrative burdens on farmers, reducing inspections and expanding support for small and organic producers.