Farmers adapt to satellite monitoring in Finland as EU reduces onsite inspections

Gone are the days when farm fields were monitored by inspectors who would arrive unannounced, recalls Markku Ranta, a farmer with 21 years of experience. He remembers a time when four inspectors would spend two days surveying fields, making farmers available to guide them at any moment.

Since 2023, satellite imagery has been utilized by EU member states to monitor agricultural operations. Last year, the focus was primarily on verifying harvesting and sowing activities, but this year, monitoring has expanded to include the identification of crop species. Henri Korhonen, a specialist at the Finnish Food Authority (Ruokavirasto), states that satellite monitoring now covers all farms, significantly reducing the number of onsite inspections—from about five percent previously to just two percent today.

However, artificial intelligence used to analyze vast amounts of satellite imagery is not infallible. When discrepancies arise between satellite observations and farmers’ EU subsidy applications, additional clarifications are sought. Recently, Ranta received clarification requests for 14 fields, as the AI indicated that his crops had not been harvested according to the subsidy guidelines, despite him knowing otherwise.

To assist farmers in meeting guidelines, a mobile application called Vipu has been developed. This app provides precise instructions for taking images and utilizes GPS to ensure accurate field positioning, with the camera activated only when the farmer is in the correct place.

Given the number of requests—14,000 sent out covering 37,000 growing plots—many farmers now rely on smartphones in the fields. Despite the growing reliance on satellites, responses from farmers are mixed. While some find the process frustrating, Ranta appreciates the system’s flexibility, allowing him to take images according to his schedule and correct application errors post-submission without penalties for human mistakes.