Germany eases farming rules and financial burdens ahead of 2027 fertiliser season
German officials have reached key agreements to simplify farming rules and ease financial pressures ahead of the 2027 fertilising season. The changes follow months of debate between federal and state governments over subsidies, environmental regulations, and bureaucratic hurdles. A new fertiliser strategy will be unveiled at the upcoming Agricultural Ministers' Conference in late September.
One major decision extends the conversion period for grassland from five to seven years, starting January 1, 2026. Farmers will no longer face penalties for not ploughing permanent grassland or clover-grass fields if the land was registered as arable by that date. Small farms under 30 hectares will also be retroactively exempt from crop rotation checks and sanctions under GLÖZ 7.
Fallow land will now be allowed under GLÖZ 6 to help control pests like the Schilf-Glasflügelzikade. Previously, farmers had to submit separate applications, but this requirement has been scrapped. Organic farmers have already been exempt from several GLÖZ rules since the beginning of the year. Disputes over subsidies for livestock housing upgrades, aimed at improving animal welfare, remained unresolved. Meanwhile, the federal minister confirmed that a planned €150 million budget cut under the Planak circular procedure would be permanently reversed. Nine federal states, including Saxony, sent a letter to Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall on October 29, 2025. They demanded a full postponement of EU regulations—likely the Nature Restoration Law—arguing that bureaucratic burdens should be lifted for all businesses, not just small ones.
The new measures aim to provide farmers with clearer legal certainty before the 2027 fertilising season. The extended grassland conversion period and exemptions for small farms reduce administrative workloads. However, disagreements over livestock subsidies and EU regulations show that further negotiations may still be needed.
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