Canary Islands adjust the guidelines for rural development aid under the CAP Strategic Plan (PEPAC)

The Official Gazette of the Canary Islands number 184, dated September 14, 2026, publishes the Order of September 2, 2026, which modifies the Order of February 5, 2024, which approved the regulatory bases for rural development grants of the Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy (PEPAC) 2023-2027 in the Canary Islands. The regulation, signed by Counselor Alejandro Narvay Quintero Castañeda, enters into force the day following its publication.

The modification corrects terminological inaccuracies detected in the text of the bases, adapts its content to current labor regulations, and improves the practical application of the valuation criteria. The main change replaces the expression “permanent staff workers,” which does not correspond to any recognized contractual modality, with the correct term “workers with indefinite contracts.”

Changes in the definition of preferential agricultural holding

The correction affects the definition of preferential agricultural holding set out in letter f) of base 3.1, as well as the valuation criteria for investments in the modernization and improvement of agricultural holdings and in the transformation, marketing, and development of agri-food products. Henceforth, a preferential agricultural holding is considered to be one that has at least 50% of its working personnel registered with the Social Security with an indefinite contract in the corresponding economic activity.

The valuation criteria linked to stable employment are scored progressively:

• Maintaining or increasing the number of workers with indefinite contracts by up to 10% relative to the average of the last three years: 1 point.
• Increase of more than 10% up to 20%: 2 points.
• Increase of more than 20% up to 30%: 3 points.
• Increase of more than 30% up to 40%: 4 points.
• Increase exceeding 40%: 5 points.

Removal of the SME criterion and reinforcement of sustainability

The order removes the valuation criterion that rewarded investments made by micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), provided for in letter h) of point 3 of Annex 2, due to its limited application. The agricultural policy of the European Union requires prioritizing criteria that incentivize investments oriented toward technological modernization, environmental sustainability, and resilience to climate change, which will allow the valuation to focus on projects that promote these strategic priorities.

Other valuation criteria are also modified:

• Letter i) prioritizes companies and producer organizations whose facilities are registered in Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) or Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) of the Canary Islands and located within their protected geographical area, with 6 points.
• Letter p) replaces the reference “eligible budget” with “requested budget,” providing greater technical precision in the evaluation of projects.
• Letter p) of point 3 values investments that represent at least 35% of the requested budget in food safety, energy saving, waste reuse, ripening chambers, or concentration of processing centers, with a maximum of 4 points.

Boosting gender equality in the agri-food sector

Letter q) is reformulated to reinforce effective equality between women and men in a sector where there is traditionally low female representation. 7 points are awarded to entities that, at the time of submitting the application, have at least 25% of their workers with indefinite contracts affiliated with Social Security who are women. To prove this criterion, the applicant must present a list with the name and NIF of the female workers with indefinite contracts, simplifying the administrative burden.

Additionally, the regulation of the amounts for interventions destined for agri-environmental commitments on agricultural areas and the conservation of genetic resources is added to Annex 3, which will result from prorating the assigned budget based on the area or Livestock Unit (LU) requested, with a minimum eligible amount of 10%.

The regulation, processed by the General Directorate of Agriculture with the validation of the Vice-Ministry of the Primary Sector, adheres to the principles of good regulation regarding necessity, effectiveness, proportionality, legal certainty, transparency, and efficiency. With these technical adjustments, the Government of the Canary Islands seeks a more coherent management of the CAP Strategic Plan (PEPAC) aids, benefiting farmers and agri-food companies that commit to modernization, sustainability, and equality, without introducing new burdens for applicants.

Source: Official Gazette of the Canary Islands, no. 184, of September 14, 2026, I. General Provisions, page 34512 (official reference: Order of September 2, 2026, no. 3239).