Elements of on-the-spot checks
1. On-the-spot checks shall cover all the agricultural parcels for which aid is requested under schemes listed in Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 and/or for which support is requested under rural development measures in the scope of the integrated system.
With regard to the control of the rural development measures provided for in Article 21(1)(a) and Articles 30 and 34 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013, the on-the-spot checks shall also cover all non-agricultural land for which support is being claimed.
The competent authority shall assess on the basis of the control results whether an update of the corresponding reference parcels is required, having regard to Article 5(3) of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 640/2014.
2. On-the-spot checks shall cover the area measurement and verification of the eligibility criteria, commitments and other obligations of the area declared by the beneficiary under the aid schemes and/or support measures referred to in paragraph 1.
For beneficiaries applying for direct payments under the schemes listed in Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 and whose agricultural areas are mainly areas naturally kept in a state suitable for grazing or cultivation, the on-the-spot check shall also cover the verification of the minimum activity carried out on those areas as referred to in Article 9(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013.
3. On-the-spot checks related to greening practices shall cover all obligations to be respected by the beneficiary. Where relevant, the compliance with the thresholds referred to in Articles 44 and 46 of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 for exemption from the practices shall form part of on-the-spot checks. This subparagraph shall also apply to the on-the-spot checks carried out in respect of national or regional environmental certification schemes as referred to in Article 43(3)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013.
Where the on-the-spot check concerns a regional implementation in accordance with Article 46(5) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013, the on-the-spot check shall also cover the area measurement and verification of the obligations imposed by the Member State upon the beneficiaries or groups of beneficiaries.
Where the on-the-spot check concerns a collective implementation in accordance with Article 46(6) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013, the on-the-spot check shall cover:
(a)
the verification of the criteria for close proximity set in accordance with Article 47(1) of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 639/2014;
(b)
the area measurement and verification of the criteria for the contiguous ecological focus areas;
(c)
the additional obligations imposed by the Member State upon the beneficiaries or groups of beneficiaries, where appropriate;
(d)
the individual greening obligations to be respected by the beneficiary participating in the collective implementation.
Area measurement
1. While all agricultural parcels shall be subject to eligibility checks, the actual area measurement of the agricultural parcel as part of an on-the-spot check may be limited to a randomly selected sample of at least 50 % of the agricultural parcels for which an aid application and/or payment claim has been submitted under the area-related aid schemes and/or rural development measures. When this sample check reveals any non-compliance, all agricultural parcels shall be measured, or conclusions from the measured sample shall be extrapolated.
The first subparagraph shall not apply to agricultural parcels to be checked for the purpose of ecological focus area in accordance with Article 46 of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013.
2. Agricultural parcel areas shall be measured by any means proven to assure measurement of quality at least equivalent to that required by applicable technical standards, as drawn up at Union level.
3. The competent authority may make use of remote sensing in accordance with Article 40 and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) techniques where possible.
4. A single value buffer tolerance shall be defined for all area measurements performed using GNSS and/or ortho-imagery. For this purpose the measurement tools used shall be validated for at least one validation class of buffer tolerance below the single value. However, the single tolerance value shall not exceed 1.25 m.
The maximum tolerance with regard to each agricultural parcel shall not, in absolute terms, exceed 1.0 ha.
However, for the measures referred to in Article 21(1)(a) and Articles 30 and 34 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 as far as the forestry area is concerned, Member States may define appropriate tolerances, which shall in no case be greater than twice the tolerance set out in the first subparagraph of this paragraph.
5. The total area of an agricultural parcel may be taken into account in the measurement provided that it is fully eligible. In other cases the net eligible area shall be taken into account. For that purpose, the pro-rata system as referred to in Article 10 of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 640/2014 may be applied, where appropriate.
6. For the purpose of the calculation of shares of different crops for crop diversification as referred to in Article 44 of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013, the area actually covered by one crop in accordance with Article 40(2) of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 639/2014 shall be taken into account for the measurement. On areas where mixed cropping is applied, the total area covered with mixed cropping in accordance with the first and the second subparagraphs of Article 40(3) of that Regulation or covered with a mixed crop in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 40(3) of that Regulation shall be taken into account.
7. Where Article 17(1)(b) of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 640/2014 may lead to an artificial division of the area of adjacent agricultural parcels with a homogeneous land cover type into separate agricultural parcels, the measurement of this area of adjacent agricultural parcels with a homogeneous land cover type shall be combined in one single measurement of the agricultural parcels concerned.
8. Where appropriate, two separate measurements shall be carried out on the agricultural parcel for the purpose of the basic payment scheme or the single area payment scheme in accordance with Chapter 1 of Title III of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 and a spatially different overlapping agricultural parcel for the purpose of the remaining area-related aid schemes and/or rural development measures, where appropriate.
Verification of eligibility conditions
1. The eligibility of agricultural parcels shall be verified by any appropriate means. That verification shall also include a verification of the crop, where appropriate. To that end, additional proof shall be requested where necessary.
2. For permanent grassland which can be grazed and which forms part of the established local practices where grasses and other herbaceous forage are traditionally not predominant in grazing areas, the reduction coefficient according to Article 32(5) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 may be applied, where appropriate, to the eligible area measured in accordance with Article 38 of this Regulation. Where an area is used in common, the competent authorities shall allocate it between the individual beneficiaries in proportion to their use or right of use of it.
3. Landscape features declared by beneficiaries as ecological focus area that are not included in the eligible area in accordance with Articles 9 and 10 of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 640/2014 shall be verified according to the same principles as applicable to the eligible area.
4. With regard to the control of rural development measures and where the Member States provide that particular elements of an on-the-spot check may be carried out on the basis of a sample, that sample shall guarantee a reliable and representative level of control. Member States shall establish the criteria for the selection of the sample. If the checks on that sample reveal any non-compliance, the extent and scope of the sample shall be extended appropriately.
Checks with remote sensing
Where a Member State carries out on-the-spot checks by remote sensing, the competent authority shall:
(a)
perform photo interpretation of ortho-images (satellite or aerial) of all agricultural parcels per aid application and/or payment claim to be checked with a view to recognising the land cover types, and where appropriate the crop type, and measuring the area;
(b)
carry out physical inspections in the field of all agricultural parcels for which photo interpretation does not make it possible to verify the accuracy of the declaration of areas to the satisfaction of the competent authority;
(c)
carry out all checks required to verify the compliance with the eligibility criteria, commitments and other obligations of the agricultural parcels;
(d)
take alternative action to cover the area measurement in accordance with Article 38(1) of any parcels not covered by imagery.
Control report
1. Every on-the-spot check under this Section shall be the subject of a control report which makes it possible to review the details of the checks carried out and to draw conclusions on the compliance with the eligibility criteria, commitments and other obligations. The report shall indicate in particular:
(a)
the aid schemes or support measures, the aid applications or payment claims checked;
(b)
the persons present;
(c)
the agricultural parcels checked, the agricultural parcels measured including, where applicable, the result of the measurements per measured agricultural parcel and the measuring methods used;
(d)
where applicable, the results of the measurement of non-agricultural land for which support under rural development measures is being claimed and the measuring methods used;
(e)
whether notice of the check was given to the beneficiary and, if so, the period of prior notice;
(f)
indications of any specific control measures to be carried out in the context of individual aid schemes or support schemes;
(g)
indication of any further control measures carried out;
(h)
indication of any non-compliance found that could require cross-notification in view of other aid schemes, support measures and/or cross-compliance;
(i)
indication of any non-compliance found that could require follow-up during the following years.
2. The beneficiary shall be given the opportunity to sign the report during the check to attest his presence at the check and to add observations. Where Member States make use of a control report established by electronic means during the check, the competent authority shall provide for the possibility of an electronic signature by the beneficiary or the control report shall be sent without delay to the beneficiary giving him the opportunity to sign the report and to add any observations. Where any non-compliance is found the beneficiary shall receive a copy of the control report.
Where the on-the-spot check is carried out by means of remote sensing in accordance with Article 40, the Member States may decide not to give the beneficiary the opportunity to sign the control report if no non-compliance is revealed during the check by remote-sensing. If any non-compliance is revealed as a consequence of such checks the opportunity to sign the report shall be given before the competent authority draws its conclusions from the findings with regard to any resulting reductions, refusals, withdrawals or penalties.
Source: EUR-Lex (Publications Office of the EU), © European Union, reuse permitted under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
