Policy context
Common Agricultural Policy: 1st pillar - Direct payments (Aragón)
| Authors: | Artemio Cerda, Felix Gonzalez |
| Coordinating authors: | Constantinos Kosmas, Ruta Landgrebe, Sandra Nauman, Marit de Vries |
| Editors: | Alexandros Kandelapas, Jane Brandt |
Editor's note 20Mar14: Source D242-3
The advisor of agriculture, cattle ranches and the environment (equivalent of an agriculture minister) of the Aragón government is the main policy actor. Further actors are cattle farmers.
The main policy instruments and procedures related to the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund, as implemented through Real Decreto 202/2012 on direct payments. This policy integrates the CAP support for agriculture, livestock, agri-environment and the request for compensatory damages in mountain areas. Assistance from the CAP serves to:
- grant aid to agricultural income,
- surface or livestock statements related to other requests for aid,
- guarantee an income level to have living conditions similar to urban areas,
- stabilize markets, and
- ensure access to products at a reasonable price for final consumer.
Policy actors include public authorities, famers and land users. The holders of agricultural land or cattle dealers receive subsidies. In terms of livestock, parties/farms eligible for subsidies include:
- farms that keep dairy cows;
- beef production of officially recognized quality.
Policy measures (including funding) intend to:
- compensate farmers for the milk production of dairy cattle in economically vulnerable or sensitive areas from environmental point of view (less favoured areas);
- provide financial support for sheep and goats that are covered by designations of quality production.
- provide financial support for sheep and goats oriented towards meat production, with the purpose to compensate specific disadvantages linked to the economic viability of this type of exploitation.
Agricultural parcel data. The declaration of permanent pasture exploitation and grazing coefficients grass plots are calculated as follows: in the plots of grass with trees, grass and shrub-grass, the area eligible for payment entitlements is determined by multiplying the surface of the enclosure by the ratio of grazing. For the identification of the agricultural parcels, GIS is used.