The European Commission on Friday unveiled plans to allow European Union members to loosen environmental regulations for farmers, following months of intense protests in several countries.
"Agricultural policy adapts to changing realities," said commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a statement on Friday. "The commission will continue to stand steadfastly by our farmers, who maintain EU food security and serve at the frontline of our climate and environment action."
Lively protests brought the EU's political centre in Brussels to a standstill in February, as farmers in convoys of tractors protested red tape under the bloc's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The CAP pays subsidies farmers rely on to stay afloat, but payments are conditional on strict environmental protection rules.
The CAP revisions unveiled Friday - which will need the support of EU member states and the European Parliament to become law - would ease rules governing matters such as land use and crop rotation.
Farmers would no longer be obliged to leave parts of their arable land fallow. Member states would be required to offer additional financial support for farmers who voluntarily leave some land unused.
"All EU farmers will be incentivized to maintain non-productive areas beneficial for biodiversity without fearing loss of income," the commission's press release said.
The EU executive is also proposing to loosen rules requiring farmers to rotate the types of crops they grow. Instead, farmers would be permitted to choose between rotating crops and diversifying them.
However, each member state individually would have to authorize diversification as an alternative to rotation for the change to apply in that country.
The commission also proposes that member states could exempt certain crops and soil types from rules on tillage, soil cover and crop rotation or diversification.
EU countries would also be allowed to relax environmental rules more broadly when extreme weather strikes. Such loosening "should be limited in time and only apply to the beneficiaries affected" by the bad weather, the commission said.
Another proposal would exempt small farms of under 10 hectares (25 acres) from compliance checks and penalties.
There is a lengthy process ahead before the proposed changes can be added to EU law.
First the European Parliament and EU member states, separately, will be allowed to draft their own amendments to the proposals.
Negotiators for the parliament and the member states will then meet behind closed doors to hash out compromises between their competing amendments. These negotiations typically involve several rounds of talks.
Whatever compromise they reach will then need to be approved by a majority in the parliament and by ministers from the member states to become law.
The commission will also have the right to withdraw the draft law entirely if it objects strongly enough to the amendments.
