DIRECT PAYMENTS INSIGHT

The intricacies of the new direct payment schemes were introduced by Mrs Joanna Czapla,
the Director of the Department of Direct Payments in the Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Development

The 21 AGROTECH edition includes the Agricultural Chambers' Debate "2014- 2020 RDP and direct payments - a chance for  Polish agriculture development ". As announced during the meeting, the estimated number of RDP beneficiaries accounts for about one million.

- We have good news: this year the European Commission proposed to extend the direct payments application submission period by as much as a month. This means that applications can be submitted from 15 March to 15 June, and up to July 10 with a reduction of around 1 percent for each day of delay - Said Wiktor Szmulewicz , president of the National Council of Agricultural Chambers at the beginning of the meeting - There are a lot of changes ahead of us this year and this is why we are holding this meeting.

- Already on March 16 the Agency for Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture starts accepting applications for payment. As far as I know, already 80 thousand farmers have already submitted their applications - says Mrs Joanna Czapla, the  Director of the Department of Direct Payments in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development  - This year, one application can be used to apply for direct, agri-environment-climate  payments with the new payment level, organic farming and afforestation payments and all follow-on payments from the previous threshold.

The most significant changes in the 2015 system of direct payments relates to types of payments, the so-called schemes the farmer can claim for. There are also specific requirements which must be met on a farm as a condition for each payment. In the new system there are as many as 18 new components of direct payments. One of the novelties is, inter alia, payment for "greening' the farming activities. This component raises the greatest number of questions. There are also payments for young farmers and payments for small farms - Joanna Czapla explained during the meeting. The director in her speech also touched upon many other issues with regards to direct payments and the new rules.

The participants could learn that Poland, alongside Denmark and Austria is one of the three countries which were first to receive the European Commission's approval of the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020. In all 28 Member States of the European Union there will be the total of 118 such programmes. Some states decide to implement regional programs - hence the multitude of programs. In Poland the Ministry of Agriculture devised programme will be implemented and this a nation-wide comprehensive programme.