The European Commission has said that its proposal to make the use of geotagged photos voluntary has received a "positive opinion" from member states.

This paves the way for the adoption of the proposal which is part of a series of measures from commission aiming to bring more flexibility in the implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Farmers and EU member states have expressed "several difficulties" in the first year of implementation of the current CAP.

The commission said it has been "working hard" since the beginning of this year "to relieve the administrative burden for farmers and national administrations" due to CAP.

Among the concerns raised was the requirement for the use of geotagged photos for the satellite-based Area Monitoring System (AMS) which tracks and assesses agricultural activities.

The AMS is based on automated analysis of satellite imagery from Copernicus and is used to check compliance with area-based schemes.

The commission had originally stipulated that each member state had an obligation to ensure that it used geotagged photographs to monitor at least 70% of agricultural activities in relation to eligibility conditions by January 1 , 2027.

The commission said the introduction of geotagged photos in the current CAP sought to "avoid field visits to farmers and alleviate costs for national administrations".

"However, it has been perceived as being cumbersome and complex to implement by certain farmers and member states," it added.

According to a EU survey on CAP simplification, half of respondents applying for supports were not providing geotagged photos to authorities.

Of those who were using mobile devices for this purpose, around half reported having issues with the technology.

Under the draft proposal, member states will have the flexibility to ask farmers to use geotagged photos or any other data deemed equivalent.

The proposal was presented to member states during a committee meeting yesterday (Thursday, July 11), following a period of public consultation.

Geotagged photos were first introduced by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) in 2018 as an option for farmers to support their scheme application and establish the eligibility status of a land parcel.

DAFM subsequently developed a geotagged photo app for smartphone and mobile devices known as AgriSnap which enables farmers or their advisor to send land parcel geotagged pictures and information.