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
Date: 2007-08-25
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: France, Ireland, Spain, State aid, aid to agriculture, control of State aid, small and medium-sized enterprises

C 198/14

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

25.8.2007

Information communicated by Member States regarding State aid granted under Commission Regu-
lation (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

(2007/C 198/04)

XA number: XA 103/07

Member State: Spain

Region: Cantabria

the occurrence of salmonella outbreaks of some importance
in terms of public health;

(c) depopulation of poultry farms where one or various flocks

of laying hens will be located.

Title of aid scheme: Ayudas a las explotaciones de gallinas
ponedoras.

Sector(s) concerned: Egg-producing poultry sector (poultry
farms on which laying hens are kept).

Legal basis: Orden GAN/24/2007, de 18 de abril, por la que se
establecen las bases reguladoras de las ayudas a las explotaciones
de gallinas ponedoras de la Comunidad Autónoma de Cantabria,
y se convocan para el año 2007.

BOC no 83, de 30 abril de 2007.

Name and address of the granting authority:

Consejería de Ganadería, Agricultura y Pesca del Gobierno de
Cantabria, Edificio Europa
E-39011 Santander (Cantabria)

Internet address: www.gobcantabria.es

planned

under

the

scheme:

Other information: —

Annual
EUR 180 000

expenditure

Maximum aid intensity:

— 100 % of EUR 100 000 for the aid headings referred to in
(acquisition of replacement hens for
Article 3(1) and (3)
positive holdings/loss of production through depopulation
of poultry installations). The amount of aid will be set on
the basis of the number and age of the birds slaughtered.

— 100 % of EUR 80 000 for the aid heading referred to in
Article 3(2) (infrastructure works or provision of equipment
and means intended to improve biosafety). Each recipient
will be paid up to 75 % of the cost of the investment made.

Date of implementation: May 2007

Duration of scheme: 2007-2013

Santander, 2 May 2007.
Head of the Animal Health and
Welfare Service
Francisco Manuel FERNANDEZ MARTINEZ

XA number: XA 104/07

Member State: France

Region: Département de la Vendée

Objective of aid: Improvement of installations and of animal
biosafety on poultry farms on which laying hens are kept.

Title of aid scheme: Aides aux investissements à finalité
environnementale sur les exploitations agricoles

Articles of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006:

— Article 4 (Investment in agricultural holdings),

— Article 10 (Aid in respect of animal and plant diseases and

pest infestations),

— Article 16 (Support for the livestock sector).

Eligible costs covered by the scheme: Article 3 of the aforemen-
tioned Order GAN/24/2007 specifies the three aid headings
(eligible items):

(a) acquisition of replacement hens for holdings where a salmo-
nella outbreak of some importance in terms of public health
has been officially confirmed;

(b) investment for the execution of infrastructure works and/or
provision of equipment and means intended to improve
animal biosafety on poultry farms, especially with regard to

Legal basis:

— Article 4.3.d) du règlement (CE) no 1857/2006

— Articles L 1511-2 et L 1511-5 du code général des collecti-

vités territoriales

— Convention cadre en cours entre le département et la région

Pays-de-Loire.

Annual
EUR 200 000

expenditure

planned

under

the

scheme:

Maximum aid intensity: 30 % of
maximum aid limit of EUR 100 000 per project.

investment, subject to a

Date of implementation: As soon as confirmation of receipt is
received from the Commission.

Duration of scheme: Five years from confirmation of receipt
by the Commission.

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Objective of aid: To help agricultural holdings to purchase
equipment to replace fossil energy by renewable energy (metha-
nisation, fuel wood, geothermal energy, solar energy, etc.).

XA Number: XA 105/07

Member State: Ireland

A precondition is that
viable.

the recipients must be economically

Region: Entire Member State

firstly be determined,
The amount of support provided will
according to the operation, on the basis of the estimated cost
stated when the application is submitted. The actual aid will be
determined on submission of receipted invoices. Department
staff will have the possibility of carrying out documentary and
on-the-spot checks.

If the actual purchase cost is less than the estimated cost stated
when the file was submitted to the standing committee, the aid
will be reduced in proportion to the expenditure actually
incurred. If the opposite is the case, the support will not be
increased.

The support recipient must undertake to use the department's
support, from the date of notification of the decree, for the
specific purpose for which it was granted and to submit
annually, for three years, a technical report on the operation of
the equipment supported.

The decision granting support must precede the start of the
operation, otherwise the application for support will be inad-
missible.

The department's support will be cancelled in full by the
standing committee if
there is no response to notice being
served, and immediate repayment may be required if the reci-
pient does not furnish the supporting documents requested. The
department may also ask for the support to be repaid if it has
not been spent in accordance with the granting criteria. Any
granting decision will become void if the equipment is not
purchased within two years following notification of the decree.
The support will therefore be cancelled automatically.

However, a validity extension of one year at the most may — by
way of exception and subject to the agreement of the regional
council's standing committee — be granted for purchasing the
equipment, provided that the recipient is not responsible for the
delay and that the application for extension is submitted, with
supporting documents, two months before the expiry date of
the support's initial period of validity.

Sector(s) concerned: All mixed agricultural holdings which
satisfy the Community definition of small and medium-sized
enterprises.

Name and address of the granting authority:

Conseil général de la Vendée
Direction de l'environnement et de l'aménagement
40, rue Maréchal Foch
F-85923 La Roche-sur-Yon Cedex 9

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an indi-
vidual aid: Young Farmers' Installation Scheme (This Scheme
forms part of
the
2007-2013 Rural Development Programme of Ireland).

the Education and Training Measure of

basis: Article

Legal
No 1698/2005.

22

of Council Regulation

(EC)

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of individual aid granted to the company: EUR 5
million.

EUR 0,7 million per annum over the period 2007-2013.

Maximum aid intensity: EUR 15 000 per applicant.

Date of implementation: Not before ten working days after
notification; the Scheme will be applied to all eligible applicants
set up for the first time in farming on or after 1 January 2007.

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Scheme will be
applicable to all eligible applicants
set up on or before
31 December 2013.

Objective of aid:

(i) to achieve the transfer of land to young trained farmers
who are better able to overcome the new challenges facing
Irish agriculture (Article 7 of Regulation (EC) 1857/2006);

(ii) to offset set-up costs faced by young people when estab-
lishing themselves in farming (Article 7 of Regulation (EC)
1857/2006);

(iii) to encourage the completion of

investments on such

holdings (Article 7 of Regulation (EC) 1857/2006).

Sector(s) concerned: All agriculture sectors.

Name and address of the granting authority:

Minister for Agriculture and Food
Agriculture House
Kildare Street
Dublin 2
Ireland

Web address:

www.agriculture.gov.ie/index.jsp?file=schemes/OFI/installation%
20_aid.xml

Internet address: www.vendee.fr
website)

(the department's general

The description will be put online subject to the Commission
registering this exemption sheet.

(Application details in respect of Young Farmer's Installation Aid
Scheme will be available on the website in the Installation Aid
Scheme Section of the Agriculture and Food Development Heading
when Ireland's Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 has
been approved by the Commission.)

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Official Journal of the European Union

25.8.2007

XA Number: XA 106/07

Member State: Ireland

Region: —

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Early Retirement Schemes

Legal basis: Council Regulation (EEC) No 2079/92, Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 and Council
Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005.

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the
company: Payments being made to participants in the Early Retirement Schemes — Scheme of Early Retire-
ment from Farming (ERS1) open to applicants for the period 1994-1999. Early Retirement (ERS2) 2000
Scheme open to applicants for the period 2000-2006 and Early Retirement Scheme (ERS3) 2007-2013.
Annual expenditure is as set out below:

Year

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Total

EUR 12 million

EUR 11 million

EUR 9 million

EUR 8 million

EUR 7 million

EUR 6 million

EUR 5 million

Maximum aid intensity: Scheme of Early Retirement from Farming (ERS1) — EUR 14 075 p.a. Early
Retirement (ERS2) 2000 and Early Retirement (ERS3) Schemes — EUR 15 000 p.a.

Date of implementation: Not before ten working days after notification.

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: An annual pension is paid to eligible applicants for a
maximum period of 10 years.

Objective of aid: In accordance with Article 8 of with Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 the objectives of the
Early Retirement Schemes are to encourage the transfer of holdings from older farmers to younger trained
farmers.

Sector(s) concerned: Retiring farmers must be over the age of 55.

Name and address of the granting authority:

Minister for Agriculture and Food
Agriculture House
Kildare Street
Dublin 2
Ireland

Web address:

www.agriculture.gov.ie/index.jsp?file=forms/Early_Retirement_Scheme/early_retirement.xml

(Application details in respect of ERS3 will be available on the website in the Early Retirement Scheme Section
of the Agriculture and Food Development Heading when Ireland's Rural Development Programme 2007-2013
has been approved by the Commission. Application details in respect of ERS1 and ERS2 Schemes no longer
available as these are now closed to new applications.)

XA Number: XA 107/07

Member State: Ireland

Region: Entire Member State

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Installation Aid Scheme

Legal basis: Article 22 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005.

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the
company: EUR 3 million.

2007: EUR 1 million, 2008: EUR 1 million, 2009: EUR 1 million.

Maximum aid intensity: Increase from EUR 9 523 to EUR 15 000 for farmers set up on or after 1 May
2006 who complete the business plan requirements provided for in Article 22(1)(c) of Regulation (EC)
No 1698/2005.

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Date of implementation: Not before ten working days after notification; the Scheme will be applied to all
eligible applicants set up for the first time in farming on or after 1 May 2006.

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Ends December 2009

Objective of aid:

(i) to achieve the transfer of land to young trained farmers who are better able to overcome the new

challenges facing Irish agriculture;

(ii) to offset set-up costs faced by young people when establishing themselves in farming;

(iii) to encourage the completion of investments on such holdings;

(iv) to encourage the completion of business plans.

The Scheme is in accordance with Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006.

Sector(s) concerned: All agriculture sectors

Name and address of the granting authority:

Department of Agriculture and Food
Agriculture House
Kildare Street
Dublin 2
Ireland

Web address:

www.agriculture.gov.ie/index.jsp?file=schemes/OFI/installation%20_aid.xml

(Application details in respect of Installation Aid Scheme will be available on the website in the Installation
Aid Scheme Section of the Agriculture and Food Development Heading when the Scheme has been launched.)