• The Spanish Agricultural Guarantee Fund (FEGA) is organizing a workshop to explain the benefits of implementing the Agricultural Holding Book (CUE).
• A new regulation establishes the voluntary nature of the CUE, although its effectiveness in making decisions on farms and optimizing the use of inputs and fertilizers has been demonstrated.
• The event brought together various professional agricultural organizations, agrotech companies, research centers, and technical staff from autonomous communities and ministries.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) On June 17, the public information process for the Royal Decree amending the regulations establishing the voluntary nature of the Digital Agricultural Holding Logbook (CUE) began. The new regulation modifies the Royal Decree establishing and regulating the Agricultural and Livestock Holdings and Agricultural Production Information System (SIEX) to establish the voluntary nature of the use of this digital logbook.

This will allow farm owners to decide, also voluntarily, whether to make the information they have completed in the notebook available to the administration.

Following this amendment to the standard, the CAP Network , in collaboration with FEGA , held a presentationday on the Digital Agricultural Holding Notebook (CUE) . This day was intended to explain the current status and content of the notebook, as well as to discuss the sustainable use of phytosanitary products, soil nutrition, and the integration of precision agriculture. The event, which was shared on the CAP Network's social networks using the hashtag #JornadaCUE , brought together various professional agricultural organizations, agrotech companies, research centers, and technical staff from autonomous communities and ministries.

“To write down is to save”

“Taking notes is saving. When you take notes, you save. And when you accumulate data, that compilation helps you make decisions because you have a historical record.” With these words, Fernando Miranda, Secretary General of Agricultural Resources and Food Security at MAPA, opened the conference. The Ministry emphasized the voluntary nature of the CUE, both for its use and for its avoidance of having to send the collected data to the public administration. “ Digitization is a means, but not an end. The goal is to do things in the best possible way for our farms.” However, it was noted that “this voluntary nature will be temporary given the widespread implementation of digitization in all aspects of society and at all levels of humankind.”

The Ministry emphasized the importance of collecting pesticide and fertilizer records, with a view to further optimizing inputs on livestock farms.

From the agricultural sector, Antonio Torres, a farmer from Valladolid, was present. He emphasized the voluntary nature of the use of the CUE, although he emphasized its suitability for proper farm management: "There is not a single farmer who doesn't write down all their production data in a notebook with a pencil. Instead of doing it as it has been done up to now, it is much more organized to use the CUE to digitize the information."

Public and private notebooks

In addition to the roundtable discussions held in the morning, which addressed the use of CUE in relation to the use of phytosanitary products, soil sustainability, and precision agriculture, the afternoon session featured a workspace for the presentation of the notebooks, both public (by the autonomous communities and SGA) and private, through the agrotech companies present at the event.

A total of 15 digital notebooks were presented: 5 for public use and 10 for commercial use. Each company had a demonstration area to directly present their product to the public, as well as an exhibition space with a poster summarizing the functionality of their tools.

The session was recorded and will soon be broadcast on the YouTube channel of the PAC Network.