Changes in the implementation period of the Digital Agricultural Holding Notebook

Article 16 of Royal Decree 1311/2012, of September 14, which establishes the framework for action to achieve sustainable use of plant protection products ("Royal Decree 1311/2012"), states that, in accordance with the provisions of Article 67.1 of Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009, each agricultural holding will keep an updated record of plant protection products’ treatments, which will be called the Digital Agricultural Holding Notebook (in spanish Cuaderno Digital de Explotación Agrícola). Each person or entity that requires the application of plant protection products in professional fields other than agriculture will also keep an updated record of plant protection products’ treatments. The mentioned information must be recorded electronically in the application enabled for this purpose by the competent authority, with a deadline for uploading this information of one month from the date of the treatments.

The new Royal Decree 34/2025, of January 21, provides that notwithstanding the above, in accordance with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/564 of March 10, 2023, regarding the content and format of records of plant protection products maintained by professional users in accordance with Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009, professional operators in agricultural fields may keep the information in the plant protection treatment notebook on paper until December 31, 2025. The regulation clarifies that, even if the paper format is chosen, this notebook will be called the Digital Agricultural Holding Notebook.

Therefore, until December 31, 2025, professional operators in agricultural fields may choose to keep the plant protection products’ treatment record updated in either paper or digital format. After January 1, 2026, the use of the digital format will be mandatory. It should be remembered that the purpose of the Digital Agricultural Holding Notebook, in the words of the regulation itself, is to simplify the management of this notebook for the information that farmers must provide to the Administration, reducing administrative burdens for the interested parties. The digital format will facilitate access to information by the Administration to monitor compliance with regulations.