Improvements in the management of aid for knowledge exchange and advice for the digital transition of the agri-food sector

Amendment to the regulations governing subsidies for knowledge exchange interventions, training and information activities, and advisory services

• Among other modifications introduced, the seniority and human resources requirements for beneficiaries are made more flexible.
• The Royal Decree includes the relaxation of deadlines to facilitate the introduction of the Digital Notebook, starting from 1 January 2027, in line with the decision of the European Commission

The Council of Ministers on November 18th approved the modification of the regulatory bases for subsidies for knowledge exchange interventions and training and information activities and advisory services, aimed at the agri-food and forestry sector, within the framework of the Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy (PEPAC) 2023-2027, to improve the impact and scope of these and to boost the Knowledge and Innovation System in Agriculture (AKIS).

The modifications, which seek to facilitate implementation by national groups and organizations in collaboration with linked entities and clarify other technical criteria (definitions of personnel, investment, limits of subcontracting and nuances of cost moderation), affect two supra-regional interventions of the PEPAC ; 7201 , relating to the exchange of knowledge and training and information activities and 7202 , on advisory services to agricultural holdings.

Other modifications introduced in the regulatory bases:

• Reduction of the minimum age required of beneficiary entities, which goes from three to two years.
• Simplification of obligations relating to personnel , applicable to the entire group.
• Incorporation of support staff to facilitate project implementation

More time to implement the Digital Notebook

This Royal Decree also includes a more flexible deadline for the introduction of the Digital Logbook . Now, farms will have until January 1, 2027, to use the Digital Logbook to record the use of plant protection products.

This flexibility is in line with the amendment introduced by the European Commission to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/564 of 10 March 2023 , which allows Member States to keep records of plant protection products in paper format throughout 2026 and to choose whether or not to postpone, until 1 January 2027, the obligation to register the use of plant protection products in electronic format.

In this way, the Government is giving farmers who need it more leeway to prepare for the transfer of records to electronic formats . This flexibility particularly benefits small farms and farmers with greater difficulty accessing digital resources.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food points out , however, that digital transformation is already a reality, and that the Administration has made a Digital Farm Management Booklet available to all farmers so that, free of charge and voluntarily, they can not only comply with the legal registration obligations, but also have an effective management tool and take advantage of the full potential that the digitization of information offers them for the benefit of their farm and the entire sector.

The introductory basic course on the SgaCex Digital Agricultural Holding Notebook can be accessed by clicking here.

For more information about the Digital Farm Management Notebook, click here