Results of the cooperative agricultural experiment conducted in 2025, regarding the various crop varieties

The German Ministry of Agriculture has announced several updates regarding the use of the Information System for the Online Application and Area Management (FIONA) for agricultural applications.

In the coming weeks, complaints from physical on-site inspections will be displayed in FIONA, allowing applicants to address any discrepancies promptly. To help users navigate these changes, a guide titled "Guidelines for processing errors and notes in FIONA until September 30, 2025" has been provided.

The error or note messages for applications can be viewed under "Check & Error Log" within FIONA. If corrections are necessary, they must be made in FIONA's Area Information and Online Application System. The deadline for making these corrections based on the satellite data evaluation results is 30 September.

The area monitoring system, used in all area measures of the joint application involving funds from the European Union, is designed to check each parcel based on satellite data evaluation. This ensures that the crop code or cultivation in FIONA matches the actual cultivation of the parcel and that the respective cultivation requirements have been met.

If the application details cannot be confirmed by the satellite evaluation, they will be displayed in the "Findings" table in FIONA. The "Findings" table can be accessed via the navigation tree, and by double-clicking on the corresponding parcel, one can be taken directly to the FIONA-GIS where adjustments to the parcel geometry can be made.

Orders for submitting photo evidence have been created for certain partial steps in FIONA. Detailed information on these procedures can be found in the leaflet "Guidance on Area Monitoring" on the FIONA homepage under "Instructions and Manuals".

It is important to note that unlike the results from the area monitoring, the application data cannot be changed after notification of a complaint from the on-site inspection. Complaints from these inspections will be displayed in FIONA in the coming weeks.

The ministry has also provided contact details for the press office and citizen's representative, which are available externally for any queries or concerns.

Involved lower agricultural authorities, affected by the jurisdictional delineation and required to correct errors and annotations in FIONA following satellite data evaluation and on-ground verification by September 30, 2025, are not explicitly specified in available public sources. However, it is known that the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung) remains the responsible national authority for agricultural application procedures in Germany, implying that involved lower authorities operate under its framework and coordination.

The ministry encourages all applicants to review their application details and make any necessary corrections before the deadline of 30 September to ensure compliance with the satellite data evaluation results. The crop code and other application details for the parcel will be changed in the FIONA area directory after adjustments are made.

Further results from the satellite data evaluation for agricultural activity compliance, minimum activity, and harvest date compliance will be displayed in FIONA in the coming months. Stay tuned for more updates on FIONA and its role in the agricultural application process.

Results of the cooperative agricultural experiment conducted in 2025, regarding the various crop varieties