RAMONES

Small and family farmers provide the bulk of food production in Europe (and the world) and their activities are critical to achieving sustainable rural transformation. However, rural entrepreneurs cannot survive without careful and targeted support and relevant advice, where raising the quality of Rural Advisory Services (RAS) to effectively address modern challenges plays a crucial role. For successful farming practices, the adoption of innovative technologies, and the fulfilment of market-related and administrative challenges, advisory networks have an indispensable role to play... The 2003 CAP reform introduced the Cross Compliance Mechanism, which provides direct payments for compliance with basic environmental, food safety, animal and plant health and animal welfare standards by farmers, and the preservation of good agricultural and environmental land conditions (GAEC)... The introduction of this mechanism resulted in an obligation for Member States to set up an agricultural..