Direct payments

After a preparatory period of almost five years the new CAP entered into force on 1 January 2015.

The basic payment is granted to holdings per hectare of eligible land - arable land, areas under permanent crops and grassland Areas.

To be well prepared for future challenges the current CAP period focuses on the topics of food safety, climate protection and the maintenance of rural Areas.

To make farm succession and the entry of the agricultural business more attractive, young farmers are granted an additional top-up payment.

The heart of the small farmers scheme is a simplified subsidisation scheme to which in principle each farmer can change at his/her own discrétion.

In order to ensure the management of extensive areas for the future, there is a headage payment on alpine pastures where cattle, sheep and goats are driven up.

Cross-compliance means the requirement to adhere to the statutory standards concerning the environment, food safety and animal welfare.

IACS (Integrated Administration and Control System) is a system introduced by the EU step by step to ensure the implementation of a uniform Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the EU Member States.