The Rural Support Service has carried out a survey of areas of agricultural land in order to establish whether the land is being maintained in good agricultural and environmental condition. An area of agricultural land is considered to be maintained in good agricultural and environmental condition if, by 1 September of the current year, it has been mown at least once and the grass removed, or shredded and spread.

This year the LAD surveyed 2.2 million hectares of agricultural land, of which 1.99 million hectares were maintained areas and the remainder unmaintained.

The results of the 2024 survey of agricultural land can be viewed on the service's website (https://karte.lad.gov.lv). For landowners, this helps them assess the condition of the land they own.

The survey drew on information provided by satellite imagery as well as results obtained on site.

The Rural Support Service reminds landowners that they must work at least 70% of the agricultural land recorded in the cadastre for it to be considered maintained. If the LAD finds that agricultural land is unworked or unmaintained, the local authority applies an additional rate of immovable property tax. If unworked agricultural land has been declared for area payments, reductions in the amount of support are applied.