The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued, in the context of information recently circulated in the public space, a series of official clarifications regarding intervention PD-27 – “Increasing the level of cattle welfare through extensive grazing on grasslands,” applicable starting in 2026. The institution emphasizes that there is no decision to automatically reduce the financial support granted to farmers accessing this scheme.

According to the ministry, some of the interpretations circulating stem from confusion between two technical concepts used in the financial architecture of the interventions under the CAP Strategic Plan: the planned amount and the minimum amount.

The planned amount represents the indicative value of the support per head of animal, established on the basis of the additional costs and income losses associated with welfare practices, particularly extensive grazing. This value has not been modified and remains the main reference for payments granted to farmers.

In parallel, the minimum amount is a budgetary safeguard instrument provided for by European regulations, which may be activated exclusively if the number of applications significantly exceeds the initial estimates and the financial ceiling allocated to the intervention risks being exceeded. The application of this threshold is not automatic, but conditional upon real pressure on the budget.

The ministry also notes that for the 2025 campaign year, intervention PD-27 did not include a minimum amount. The introduction of this mechanism starting in 2026 does not affect payments related to the current year and does not produce retroactive effects on the support already granted.

Through these clarifications, MADR aims to eliminate concerns regarding the reduction of subsidies and to reaffirm the state’s commitment to supporting agricultural practices that improve animal welfare and the sustainable use of grasslands.

For farmers, the institution’s message is one of stability: support remains at the planned level, and budget adjustment mechanisms are designed exclusively to ensure the balanced functioning of the intervention in the event of demand exceeding expectations.

(Photo: Freepik)