When does the digital field notebook become mandatory in Spain?
Updated on 30 September 2026 · Regulations checked in the BOE (Spanish Official Gazette)
The date has already changed several times, so it is normal not to be sure what you have to do. Here is what the rules say today, with no small print: what is mandatory, from when, what has to be recorded and how to be ready by January.
In short
- During 2026 you can keep recording treatments on paper.
- From 1 January 2027, plant protection treatments must be recorded digitally.
- The rest of the notebook (fertilising, CAP) remains voluntary in digital form for now, unless your community or another rule says otherwise.
What the field notebook is and what changes
The field notebook (“cuaderno de campo”, also called cuaderno de explotación, the farm notebook) is the record where you write down what you do on your plots: treatments, fertilising, sowing, harvests. The record of plant protection treatments has been mandatory for years; what changes now is the format: paper is no longer accepted and it becomes an electronic record.
In the regulations it appears as CUE (Cuaderno Digital de Explotación Agrícola), which is part of SIEX, the Ministry of Agriculture's system that brings together farm data.
Timeline: what is mandatory and from when
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Until 31/12/2026 | You can keep the record of plant protection treatments on paper or digitally, as you prefer. |
| From 01/01/2027 | The record of plant protection treatments must be electronic. |
| Today | The rest of the digital notebook (fertilisation, CAP interventions) is voluntary, unless a sector-specific rule requires it. |
| Next CAP period | The digital notebook is expected to become mandatory for farms of more than 30 ha, more than 5 ha irrigated or more than 0.1 ha of greenhouse. |
Each autonomous community applies the rules with its own tools and, in some cases, its own deadlines. Before deciding, check your community's agriculture website (links at the end).
Why it was postponed to 2027
The EU first set the electronic record of plant protection products for 2026 (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/564). In October 2025 the Commission allowed member states to postpone it by one year (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2203), and Spain did so with Royal Decree 1039/2025 of 19 November, which allows the record to be kept on paper until 31 December 2026.
For its part, Royal Decree 34/2025 left the full digital notebook as voluntary and set the area thresholds for when it becomes mandatory.
What to record for each treatment
The digital format asks for, among others, these details of each application:
- Date (and, where applicable, time) of the treatment.
- Plots treated (SIGPAC enclosures) and crop.
- Pest or disease being treated and why the decision to treat was taken.
- Product with its official registration number, the rate and the amount used.
- Who applies it (with their applicator licence) and with what equipment.
- The adviser who validated it, if any, and the effectiveness of the treatment.
The part that causes most mistakes is the product: it must be authorised for that crop and that pest, and the rate must be within what its registration allows. Having it at hand from the official catalogue saves a lot of trouble.
Where you can keep it
1. Your community's free application
The autonomous communities offer free public tools, for example CUECYL in Castilla y León or the Government of Aragon's application. They usually ask for a digital certificate or electronic ID to log in. They are enough to comply; they do not usually help you manage the rest of the farm.
2. Your adviser or your cooperative
Many cooperatives and advisory firms keep the notebook for their members. Convenient, but you have to pass them the details of each treatment in time.
While you decide, you can get your data in order with our free field notebook Excel template.
3. Farm management software
You log each job as you do it (from your phone too) and the notebook builds itself. It has a cost, but it gives you more back: costs per plot, stock, season.
What to do before January
- Decide where you will keep it (your community's application, an adviser or software) and try it now with the autumn treatments, not on 2 January.
- Have your plots identified by their SIGPAC enclosure and with each season's crop.
- Gather the details that do not change: each person's applicator licence, the sprayers and their inspection, your adviser if you have one.
- Go through your stock of plant protection products: trade name and registration number of each one.
- Check your community's website in case it has its own deadlines or tools.
How Terrinde helps
Terrinde is a digital field notebook and farm management program. When you log a treatment you pick the product from the Ministry's official catalogue (about 2,000 products and 62,000 authorised uses) and the pest, and Terrinde checks that the product is authorised for that crop and that the rate is correct. From that it builds the field notebook in Excel — with registration number, pest, pre-harvest interval and rate — and the fertilisation record.
In addition, the “Qué falta” (what's missing) screen tells you which details your season's notebook still lacks and takes you to fill them in.
Terrinde does not yet send the notebook to the authorities: it leaves it complete and ready for you to download or hand in.
Try it free for 30 days, no card →Frequently asked questions
Can I keep the notebook on paper in 2026?
Yes. Royal Decree 1039/2025 allows the record of plant protection treatments to be kept on paper until 31 December 2026.
From when must treatments be recorded digitally?
From 1 January 2027, for farmers who use plant protection products professionally.
Do I also have to record fertilising digitally from 2027?
Not as a general rule for now: the 2027 obligation is for plant protection treatments. The rest of the digital notebook remains voluntary unless another rule requires it, and it is expected to become mandatory for farms of more than 30 ha, more than 5 ha irrigated or more than 0.1 ha of greenhouse in the next CAP period. If you are in a nitrate vulnerable zone, check your community's rules.
Is there a free application?
Yes, those of the autonomous communities. You can also use private software or leave it to your adviser or cooperative.
What has to be recorded for each treatment?
Date, plots and crop, pest or disease, product with its registration number, rate and amount, who applies it and with what equipment, and effectiveness. The details are above.
Official sources
- Royal Decree 1039/2025 of 19 November (BOE, in Spanish) — paper until 31/12/2026.
- Royal Decree 34/2025 of 21 January (BOE, in Spanish) — voluntary digital notebook and thresholds.
- Royal Decree 1311/2012 (BOE, in Spanish) — sustainable use of plant protection products.
- Ministry of Agriculture: the digital farm notebook (PDF, in Spanish)
- Communities: Castilla y León · Aragon · Castilla-La Mancha · Andalusia
This guide summarises the regulations as of the date shown above and is no substitute for advice from your agronomist or your autonomous community.