The European Commission has put forward a proposal to simplify the rules for geotagged photos to reduce “the administrative burden for farmers”.
The move is part of the commission’s general simplification of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to ensure it “responds to the challenges facing the agricultural sector”.
Geotagged photos were first introduced by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) in 2018 as an option for farmers to support their scheme application and establish the eligibility status of a parcel.
DAFM subsequently developed a geotagged photo app for smartphone and mobile devices known as AgriSnap which enables farmers or their advisor to send land parcel geotagged pictures and information.
Geotagged
The European Commission had previously stipulated in 2022 that each member state had an obligation to ensure that it used geotagged photographs to monitor at least 70% of agricultural activities in relation to eligibility conditions by 2027.
Now it is proposing in a new draft act give member states “greater flexibility” in the inclusion of geotagged photos in the Area Monitoring System (AMS) during the programming period of their CAP.
The commission has detailed that “after the experience gained in the first year of the implementation of the AMS and difficulties expressed by the farmers’ community” its position is that member states “need more flexibility in the use and processing of geotagged photos”.
It states in the draft act that member states should be able to take advantage of all technological solutions while having the necessary flexibility to implement their area monitoring system.
“The priority should no longer be given to geotagged photos in comparison to other data.
“Likewise, it is also necessary to remove the obligation of member states to ensure, before January 1, 2027, that at least 70 % of interventions with eligibility conditions that can be monitored only with geotagged photos are subject to the area monitoring system,” the commission added.
It is now inviting feedback on its latest draft act which it has stated will be taken into account before it is finalised – the feedback period is open until July 9, 2024.