EN Official Journal of the European Union C 175/5

Information communicated by Member States regarding State aid granted under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises active in the production of agricultural products and amending Regulation (EC) No 70/2001

(2008/C 175/08)

Aid No: XA 79/08

Member State: Spain

Region: Aragón

Title of aid scheme: Mejora de la ganadería

Legal basis: La legislación general aplicable a las subvenciones públicas especialmente la Ley 38/2003, de 17 de noviembre, General de Subvenciones (BOE no 18-11-2003) y Decreto 2/2007, de 26 de enero, del Gobierno de Aragón que establece un marco de subvenciones en materia de agricultura y alimentación (B.O.A. no 22-01-2007).

The measures and the characteristics of the aid comply with Articles 4, 10(1), 15(2)(d) and 16(1)(b) and (c) of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 as the requirements of those Articles are met:

Proyecto de Orden de 2007, del Departamento de Agricultura y Alimentación, por la que se establecen las bases reguladoras de las subvenciones para la mejora de la ganadería

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to associations, groups or cooperatives in the livestock sector and to livestock farm owners: The annual expenditure planned for all aid provided for in the draft Decree will be EUR 380 000, distributed to the different eligible activities as follows:

Maximum aid intensity: The maximum aid intensity for each of the activities detailed above, according to their corresponding letter, will be:

Date of implementation: During 2008

Duration of the aid scheme: 6 years, until 31 December 2013

Objective of the aid: The overall objective of the planned aid is to improve production and reduce costs, improve hygiene conditions, animal welfare and the natural environment, as well as improve the quality of the livestock produced, in particular the following:

Costs involved in carrying out the activity are eligible, specifically the cost of the necessary laboratory equipment and hiring qualified staff to complete the tests, the cost of testing and introducing innovative animal breeding techniques or practices, and the cost of training staff in the use of these techniques or practices;

Eligible costs: costs of preventing, controlling and eradicating animal diseases and pest infestations, specifically the cost of purchasing and administering vaccines, medicines and plant protection products, the cost of the slaughter and destruction of animals, as well as the cost of compensating farmers for losses caused by animal diseases;

Eligible costs: cost of purchasing automated raceways with electronic identification readers and automated opening gates for the identification, classification and automated handling of animals;

The costs of organising the competitions are eligible, in particular the cost of hiring exhibition equipment, advertising the competitions, feeding and accommodating the animals, the cost of third-party liability insurance for personal damage, as well as the costs of those ensuring the animals can take part in the competition, transport costs and rights of participation

Sector(s) concerned: Livestock sector

Name and address of the granting authority:

Diputación General De Aragón Po María Agustín, 36 — Edificio Pignatelli E-50071 Zaragoza

Website: www.aragon.es via the link:

http://portal.aragob.es/pls/portal30/docs/FOLDER/FONDOS_ESTRUCTURALES/AYUDASESTADO20072013/ORDEN++AYUDA+GANADERIA+17+ENERO+08.DOC

Other information: Aid managed by the Directorate-General for Food of the Department of Agriculture and Food

Zaragoza, 10 January 2008

El Director general de alimentación

Fdo.: Ramón Iglesias Castellarnau