Is the one of the “active farmer” a false problem?

The “active farmer” issue has gained attention in the last CAP reforms with the increasing attention to the decoupling of the support. The 2014-2020 CAP reform has ignited the debate among stakeholders on “who” is actually entitled to receive direct payments. The analysis carried out highlights the heterogeneity in the national implementation of the rules on “active farmer” and the importance of the national legislation of some Member States in limiting the access to direct payments, regardless of EU rules. The article points out how the complexity of the rules on “active farmer” arises from the unresolved question on the nature of direct payments. The new rules do not satisfy neither who wants to grant direct payments only to “genuine” farmers nor who wants to grant support to those who, in the spirit of the new approach of direct payments, manages the agricultural land, regardless of the main activity carried out.