Poznań: Agriculture ministers made progress on the post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy on 28 and 29 September 2026, but the active farmer definition remains the sharpest dividing line between capitals. Irish Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon, who chaired the Agrifish Council, said the talks brought member states “another step closer” to an agreement, and the Irish Presidency now aims for a partial general approach at the Council meeting on 26 and 27 October.
The dispute over the active farmer definition is easy to state. Some governments want the EU to require that farming is a person’s principal economic activity before payments flow, while others warn that such a rule would exclude part-time farmers who earn income outside agriculture. Belgium and France back an EU-level framework with room for national flexibility, whereas Germany and Sweden prefer more flexibility or an optional approach.
A second fight concerns degressive area-based income support. Germany, Hungary and Slovakia reject mandatory uniform models of reducing payments to larger holdings, and Italy wants optional application with labour costs deducted. Belgium supports mandatory requirements with national flexibility, and Sweden prefers a voluntary system while staying open to adjusted obligations. Sweden also questions whether support should favour smaller farms, younger farmers or those in greater economic need.
Budget worries run underneath the active farmer definition and every other technical debate. France demands a CAP budget that is “preserved and sufficient”, Hungary seeks current appropriation levels, and Slovakia opposes cutting agricultural money to pay for defence. The new CAP is meant to operate alongside the 2028-2034 budget, so each position also reflects a view of how farm money competes with defence, industrial investment, migration and infrastructure.
Social conditionality divides the room as sharply as the active farmer definition does. Italy wants labour standards reintroduced, while Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic and Luxembourg welcomed their removal. Spain and Portugal advocate European reinsurance for risk management, and Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia want transitional national aid after 2027.
Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen warned against making CAP interventions optional, saying it could turn the policy into a “pick and choose” system that weakens single market competition. His argument frames the active farmer definition as more than a technical detail, because a common definition decides who receives support and how fairly farmers in different countries are treated.
Ministers also discussed the Commission’s fertiliser action plan, which aims to reduce import dependence, boost domestic production and encourage alternatives such as organic and bio-based products. Farmers face rising input costs, market volatility and recent heatwaves and drought, which adds urgency to a deal. With about four weeks to the October target, negotiators must settle the active farmer definition before they can close the other open files.
