With restrictions still in place across the EU, the Commission adopted rules to extend to 2021 flexibilities for carrying out checks required for Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) support.

The rules allow the replacement of on-farm visits with the use of alternative sources of evidence, including new technologies such as satellite imagery or geo-tagged photos. This will ensure reliable checks while respecting the restriction of movement and minimising physical contact between farmers and inspectors.

Furthermore, the rules include flexibility around timing requirements for checks. This allows Member States to postpone checks, notably to a period when movement restrictions are lifted. In addition, the rules comprise a reduction of the number of physical on-the-spot checks to be carried out for area and animal-related measures, rural development investments and market measures. These rules aim to ease the administrative burden of national paying agencies by adapting to current circumstances while still ensuring necessary controls for CAP support.