GAEC standard 6, as listed in Annex III to Regulation (EU) 2021/2115, has as its main objective the protection of soil in periods that are most sensitive by means of a minimum soil cover requirement to avoid bare soils in such sensitive periods. To a greater extent than is the case for other GAEC standards, the design and implementation of the requirements under GAEC standard 6 are affected by a broad range of factors. In particular, the minimum soil cover may be ensured by different means which depend not only on the soil and climatic conditions, but also on factors such as the choice of crops and duration of the growing season in a given year. Besides, there may be different sensitive periods depending in particular on specific soil and climatic conditions. Moreover, when making production choices and in particular sowing decisions, farmers and other beneficiaries need to be able to reconcile the requirements of GAEC standard 6 with unpredictable weather conditions. In view of those factors, Member States should be able to manage the requirements of GAEC standard 6 more flexibly than those of other GAEC standards and in a way that ensures the contribution of such requirements to achieving the main objective of that standard, taking into account a range of factors, such as soil and climatic conditions.
Text as published in the Official Journal, reproduced verbatim (including any typographical quirks of the source). For the authentic version, see EUR-Lex.
