The Digital Farm Notebook, CUE, establishes the obligation for farm owners to electronically manage information of all kinds: general crop data on each agricultural plot, phytosanitary treatments, fertilization, etc.
The CUE, together with the Autonomous Farm Register, is the basic component of the new Farm Information System, SIEX, a system regulated by Royal Decree 1054/2022 of 27 December and Order APA/204/2023 of 28 February.
The Government has just announced its postponement. This is the second time it has been postponed due to unanimous demand from the agricultural sector. The new start date, depending on the type of farm, will be 1st January 2024 and 1st January 2025.
Government policies on agriculture are intended to help strengthen economic and social cohesion and provide support. However, the ever-growing package of regulations is making it more and more difficult for the average farmer to make a profit at a time when there are climatic, economic and now also legislative hurdles.
Technology tries to make life easier, but sometimes it gets in the way due to excessive bureaucracy that complicates the farmer’s day-to-day life more than anything else.
According to the government, the aim is to simplify management, data provision and record keeping on farms and in companies, to reduce the administrative burden and to make the PAC easier to implement, at the clear cost of added effort for farmers.
Some professionals more familiar with new technologies believe that a digital notebook is a good tool, making life easier for the producer, but they are aware of the complication it entails as the average age of the sector is high.
The general advice is to turn to specialized Agencies, Agricultural Organisations or Cooperatives for help from their technical services. Confidence is placed in the new deadline for Cooperatives and Companies to be able to meet the new requirements of a digital era in a timely manner.
