News

• The “Report on agricultural practices in the eco-regimes of the PEPAC” is the first guide in Spain to understand the eco-regimes of the CAP 23-27

• The manual includes key requirements, regulations, and inspiring case studies from across Spain.

Eco -schemes are an innovative, voluntary tool of the 2023-2027 CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) designed to incentivize practices beneficial to the climate and biodiversity. Therefore, the CAP Network has published the new Report on Agricultural Practices in the PEPAC (Common Agricultural Policy) Eco-schemes , which offers a comprehensive overview of these schemes: from the regulatory framework to real-world examples demonstrating that sustainability and profitability can go hand in hand.

What does this memory contribute?

After two years of implementing the PEPAC ( Special Plan for Agricultural Policy), eco-schemes have become one of its main innovations. These are voluntary direct subsidies that involve annual commitments to implement agricultural practices that promote climate, biodiversity, and animal welfare.
The report explains these practices and gathers real experiences from all over Spain, showing that many of them are not new to the countryside, but are traditional tasks in the agricultural sector, but are now evolving towards more sustainable management.

Ecoregimes are structured around two major complementary approaches:

1. Low-carbon agriculture , aimed at improving soil health, reducing erosion, increasing its carbon content and decreasing CO₂ emissions and other greenhouse gases.

2. Agroecology , which seeks to enhance biodiversity and conserve natural resources, integrating agricultural production with environmental protection.

Based on these pillars, the practices that make up the nine eco-regimes of PEPAC have been designed, adapted to the climatic and territorial diversity of Spain.

The document combines theory and practice: each section includes expert insights on benefits and limitations, followed by testimonials from farmers and ranchers who apply these practices in diverse contexts. The objective is twofold: to inform and to inspire .

Requirements: Key points for joining eco-regimes

To access these subsidies, you must be an active farmer, have your farm registered in the official records, and meet the specific conditions for each practice. Some general points:

• Annual payment per eligible hectare according to the chosen practice.

• Limited compatibility : only one aid per hectare, even if several practices are carried out.

• Variable amounts depending on the type of eco-scheme and surface area, published by FEGA each year.

Regarding the specific requirements , the report contains summary tables and a list of regulatory references for the correct application of practices associated with ecoregimes.

Good practices: inspiring examples

The report includes 20 real-world case studies showing how these measures are being implemented on farms throughout Spain. Some examples:

• Paloma Camino (Asturias) : regenerative extensive grazing in wet pastures, with local transhumance and livestock load control.

• Entrelobas (Madrid) : extensive goat farming with virtual fencing, awarded by the EU as the best organic farmer.

• Casal Vázquez Livestock Farm (Galicia) : islands of biodiversity in wet pastures, combined with rotation and sustainable mowing.

• Carlos Santolaria (Huesca) : pioneer in direct seeding in dryland farming, with economic and environmental benefits after 17 years of application.

• Finca Valle del Conde (Córdoba) : plant cover in mountain olive grove, integrated with grazing to improve soil fertility.

• Hato Blanco (Seville) : sustainable management of the water surface in rice paddies, which turns the farm into a refuge for biodiversity.

These testimonies, along with the other examples of good practices, demonstrate that eco-regimes are not only an economic aid, but an opportunity to move towards more resilient and sustainable agricultural systems.