1. How to notify the RSS of exceptional circumstances and retain eligibility for support
If prolonged rainfall, flooding, storms or other exceptional circumstances or circumstances beyond the farmer’s control make it impossible to comply with any of the conditions for receiving support, the RSS must be informed of the situation within two weeks of the damage being identified. Such circumstances may also include local adverse weather conditions, the spread of plant diseases or pests, and other unforeseen events that the farmer could neither prevent nor influence.
The information must be submitted through the RSS Electronic Application System (EAS) or mobile app, together with a description of the situation and a geotagged photograph. GPS location services must be enabled on the smartphone when the photograph is taken.
By informing the RSS in a timely manner, eligibility for the support applied for may be retained even if circumstances beyond the farmer’s control make it impossible to comply with the applicable requirements. The information submitted enables the RSS to assess the specific situation and take into account circumstances that have affected compliance with the requirements.
GUIDANCE on using the RSS mobile app and submitting photographic evidence.
2. Later mowing of grassland and legume areas used in beekeeping and organic farming
Grassland and legume areas used in beekeeping and organic farming, as well as grassland habitat areas that have not been grazed and cannot be mown by 15 September due to excessive moisture, may be mown at a later date. To retain eligibility for the support schemes applied for, a geotagged photograph and a description of the situation must be submitted through the RSS mobile app, confirming the weather-related damage and its impact on the ability to meet the relevant requirement.
3. Harvesting grassland and legume crops intended for seed production
In grassland and legume areas intended for seed production, where the crop should be harvested by 1 October, eligibility for the support applied for will also be retained if the crop cannot be harvested due to damage. In this case, too, the farmer must inform the RSS of the affected areas using the mobile app.
4. Coupled income support for seed production
Coupled income support for the production of certified seed potatoes, certified cereal seed, and seeds of grasses and forage crops is normally granted where a specified quantity of seed is produced in the area and the required yield threshold is met. However, in the event of damage caused by adverse weather conditions, eligibility for support may also be retained if the crop has been lost, the yield has been reduced, or the seed produced does not meet certification requirements. To ensure that this can be taken into account, the farmer must inform the RSS of the affected areas and the consequences of the damage using the mobile app.
5. Coupled income support for vegetable areas
Coupled income support for vegetable areas is normally available where a crop is harvested from the area declared for support. If the crop has been damaged by flooding and harvesting is no longer economically viable, eligibility for coupled income support may also be retained. Farmers must inform the RSS of flooded and affected areas using the mobile app.
6. Eco-scheme 4 support for sustainable agricultural practices (ECO4)
In the event of damage caused by exceptional weather conditions, eligibility for Eco-scheme 4 (ECO4) support for sustainable agricultural practices will be retained. If areas sown with this year’s winter crops were prepared before sowing using minimum soil tillage, and these areas were intended to be declared for ECO4 support in 2027, eligibility for support may also be retained if the winter crop is damaged by flooding and the area is subsequently resown with another crop later this year or at the beginning of next year. In this case, the RSS must also be informed using the mobile app.
7. Intercrops cannot be sown in waterlogged fields
Farmers who have applied for eco-scheme support for ecological focus areas – intercrops – but are unable to sow an intercrop in a particular field due to weather conditions must amend the information provided in their application by withdrawing the respective field or replacing it with another field where the support conditions can be met. The RSS will also provide information on the required action to farmers who have applied for this support.
8. Basic liming has been carried out, but an intercrop cannot be sown
Farmers who have applied for eco-scheme support for basic liming and had planned to sow an intercrop in the respective field after liming, but are objectively unable to enter the field with machinery and sow the intercrop due to exceptional weather conditions, must inform the RSS of the situation and the exceptional circumstances using the mobile app. In this case, support for basic liming will be retained, while support for the intercrop for the respective field must be withdrawn.
9. Weed control in fallow land is not possible in autumn
When assessing the eligibility of fallow land for support, the actual condition of the field and whether weeds were controlled during the summer will be taken into account. If large weeds with already mature seeds are found in the field, this indicates that weed control was not carried out at a time when it was possible to do so. In such cases, the respective fallow area will not be considered eligible for support.
10. GAEC 7 crop rotation requirement can also be met through crop diversification
If farmers are concerned that adverse weather conditions may prevent them from sowing the crop planned in accordance with the crop rotation requirement, and that the same crop may therefore have to be grown for a fourth consecutive year, the GAEC 7 requirement can still be met if the farm complies with the crop diversification requirement.
The crop diversification requirement provides that:
if a farm has 10–30 hectares of arable land, at least two different crops must be grown, and the main crop may not account for more than 75% of the total arable land area;
if a farm has more than 30 hectares of arable land, at least three different crops must be grown, with the main crop accounting for no more than 75% and the two main crops together accounting for no more than 95% of the total arable land area.
Compliance with the requirement will be calculated automatically by the RSS system.
11. Later mowing of green strips
Green strips may be left unmown this season and maintained intact until 15 March of the following year, when the vegetation must be mown along the entire length of the strip and either left on the field or mulched.
12. Later mowing or mulching of nectar crops
Farmers who have applied for eco-scheme support for ecological focus areas – nectar crops – must mow or mulch the nectar crop areas after flowering, but the plant material does not have to be removed from the field. If this cannot be done within the prescribed period due to adverse weather conditions, the area may be mown or mulched later, as soon as conditions allow. To retain eligibility for support, the RSS must be informed using the mobile app.
13. Later mowing or resting of BDUZ grassland
Farmers who have applied for support for maintaining biodiversity in grassland (BDUZ) may mow the grassland at a later date if it cannot currently be mown due to adverse weather conditions, as soon as conditions allow. A notification and justification must be submitted through the EAS regarding the circumstances preventing mowing.
BDUZ areas may also be rested during the current season by neither mowing nor grazing them, provided that the RSS is notified. If the respective area is being rested for a second consecutive year, this activity must be coordinated with the Nature Conservation Agency (DAP), and an individual permit must be obtained. It is also recommended to consult the Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre (LLKC) advisers on further action.
14. Submission of lease documents and advance payments
Farmers from whom the RSS has requested documents confirming their lease rights must submit these documents so that the RSS can complete the administration of the application and make the payment, including ensuring that the advance payment can be made in a timely manner. If the requested documents are not submitted in time, the payment will be made later, after the documents have been submitted and checked.
It is not possible to calculate and pay the support for only part of the declared area, as the application is administered as a whole and the administrative system does not provide for such an option.
To provide the required evidence more quickly, a written confirmation from the landowner that the farmer had the right to manage the respective agricultural land on 15 June this year is sufficient.
15. ECO6 satellite image notifications and amendment of the application
Farmers who have applied for eco-scheme support for promoting grassland conservation should respond within the prescribed deadline to the RSS request concerning the findings identified in satellite images. The information must be submitted in a timely manner, as no penalties are applied if the support application for an area where the support conditions cannot be met is withdrawn by 30 September.
