Identification of agricultural parcels
Article 5
1. The identification system for agricultural parcels referred to in Article 70 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 shall operate at reference parcel level. A reference parcel shall contain a unit of land representing agricultural area as defined in Article 4(1)(e) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013. Where appropriate, a reference parcel shall also include areas as referred to in Article 32(2)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 and agricultural land as referred to in Article 28(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013. Member States shall delimit the reference parcel in such a way as to ensure that the reference parcel is measurable, enables the unique and unambiguous localisation of each agricultural parcel annually declared and as a principle, is stable in time. 2. Member States shall also ensure that agricultural parcels that are declared are reliably identified. They shall in particular require the aid applications and payment claims to be furnished with particular information or accompanied by documents specified by the competent authority that enable each agricultural parcel to be located and measured. For each reference parcel, Member States shall: (a) determine a maximum eligible area for the purpose of the support schemes listed in Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013; (b) determine a maximum eligible area for the purpose of the area-related measures referred to in Articles 28 to 31 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013; (c) locate and determine the size of those ecological focus areas listed in Article 46(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 for which the Member State has decided that they shall be considered as ecological focus area. For that purpose, Member States shall apply the conversion and/or weighting factors set out in Annex X to Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013, where appropriate; (d) determine whether provisions for mountain areas, areas facing significant natural constraints and other areas affected by specific constraints as referred to in Article 32 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013, Natura 2000 areas, areas covered by Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 14 ) , agricultural land authorised for cotton production pursuant to Article 57 of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013, areas naturally kept in a state suitable for grazing or cultivation as referred to in Article 4(1)(c)(iii) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013, areas designated by Member States for the regional and/or collective implementation of ecological focus areas in accordance with Article 46(5) and (6) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013, areas which have been notified to the Commission in accordance with Article 20 of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013, areas covered with permanent grasslands which are environmentally sensitive in areas covered by Council Directive 92/43/EEC ( 15 ) or Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 16 ) and further sensitive areas referred to in Article 45(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 and/or areas designated by the Member States in accordance with Article 48 of that Regulation apply. 3. Member States shall ensure that the maximum eligible area per reference parcel as referred to in paragraph 2(a) is correctly quantified within a margin of maximum 2 %, thereby taking into account the outline and condition of the reference parcel. 4. For the measures referred to in Article 21(1)(a) and Articles 30 and 34 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013, Member States may establish appropriate alternative systems to uniquely identify the land subject to support where that land is covered by forest. 5. The GIS shall operate on the basis of a national coordinate reference system as defined in Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 17 ) which permits standardised measurement and unique identification of agricultural parcels throughout the Member State concerned. Where different coordinate systems are used, they shall be mutually exclusive and each of them shall ensure the consistency between items of information which refer to the same location.