New rules for agricultural lands and farmlands: key changes in legislation

The article is a commentary to Federal Law No. 52-FZ dated 04/01/2025 «On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation» (hereinafter referred to as Law 52-FZ). Federal Law 52-FZ amends the procedure for transferring agricultural land or land plots within such lands from the category of agricultural land to other categories, reduces the number of grounds for transferring and seizing agricultural land for state and municipal needs, and introduces a number of other restrictions that prevent the reduction of agricultural land. A detailed analysis of the law includes consideration of norms on improving the procedure for transferring agricultural land to another category; prohibiting the transfer of especially valuable productive farmland; reducing the list of grounds for transferring agricultural land to other categories; prohibition on the seizure of farmland for state or municipal needs in order to extract common minerals; requirement to coordinate urban planning documents with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation in the event that land plots belonging to farmland are included in populated areas; establishment of the boundaries of farmland by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation; automatic classification of land plots as agricultural land if they are located within the boundaries of agricultural land according to the decision of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation and the data of the state information system. The main objective of the legislative novelties is to harmonize the norms and regulations aimed at preserving agricultural land, ensuring its rational use, and preserving the most valuable and fertile lands.