EU countries will be able to offer farmers faster and more flexible support to cope with sharply rising fertiliser costs under new measures adopted by the European Commission.
Fertiliser prices have risen across Europe in recent months because of geopolitical tensions and supply disruptions, the Commission pointed out in a statement on Friday.
The changes involve targeted adjustments to the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which sets rules for farm support across the bloc.
One measure creates a new crisis “liquidity” scheme under rural development funding, with EU co-financing of up to 65% through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.
The scheme can also use unspent money that might otherwise be lost, and national governments can add additional domestic funding of up to 200%.
Support can be paid as a fixed amount per hectare — a unit of land equal to 10,000 square metres — and delivered through member states’ existing CAP Strategic Plans to speed up payments and reduce paperwork.
Earlier payments and more flexibility
Member states will also be able to make advance direct payments to farmers before 16 October, with a higher rate of advances to help with cash flow, the Commission said.
Governments will also be given extra flexibility to adjust their direct payment allocations for the 2027 calendar year to address the impact of high fertiliser prices.
The package follows an exceptional €540 million support scheme announced in the EU’s Fertilisers Action Plan and adopted on 27 July.
