Deutscher Bauernverband, the German farm union, has proposed that the same satellites that are used for farm inspections could be used to solve the issue of "time-wasting and bureaucratic" farm subsidy paperwork.

Outlining their proposal in a 16-page document called Agrarantrag 4.0, the union suggested a new digitised system for EU farm subsidies, which would be based on information received from satellites.

The European Commission has indicated that compliance with farm schemes is set to involve more satellites and fewer on-the-ground inspections.

A staff member from the European Commission previously stated that "satellites go over every piece of land in the EU every five days".

This system would generate an online list for farmers to tick and simplify the process of dealing with the current Basic Payment System, which the majority of farmers enlist an agricultural adviser to complete.

The German farm union went on to state that the budget for CAP 2020 should include this new federal IT system, which would be compatible with all member states.

The union believes that the system would bring an end to on-the-spot inspections and ensure that payments would be delivered promptly and automatically.

Read more

More of a focus on ‘eyes in the sky’ for future CAP

Satellites monitor farms every five days