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 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: 2009-02-07
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Finland, State aid, United Kingdom, agricultural holding, animal production, control of State aid, exchange of information, hunting

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Official Journal of the European Union

7.2.2009

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 Treaty to State aid to
small and medium-sized enterprises active in the production of agricultural products and amending
Regulation (EC) No 70/2001

(2009/C 31/08)

Aid No: XA 350/08

Member State: Finland

Region: Finland

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an indi-
vidual aid:

Maataloustuotteiden markkinoinnin ja tuotannon avustaminen

Legal basis:

Valtionavustuslaki (2001/688) 6-8 §

Valtioneuvoston asetus maataloustuotteiden markkinoinnin ja
tuotannon kehittämisen avustamisesta (606/2008)

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of individual aid granted to the company: A total
annual budget of EUR 3 million. The aid will apply in the years
2009-2013

Maximum aid intensity: 100 %

Date of implementation: 1.1.2009

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: 31.12.2013

Objective of aid: The aid is granted to registered public associa-
tions or other public-sector bodies. The final beneficiary is a
farmer deemed to be an SME engaged in primary production.

The aid is based on Article 15

Sector(s) concerned:

NACE code

national agricultural marketing and production development
projects, which emphasize awareness of
the quality of agri-
cultural products, food culture, or healthy eating habits and
associated information exchange.

and advisory

A project may involve activities to develop marketing and
information, studies,
production, such as the provision of
training
information
farmers,
exchanges between food business operators, fairs and exhibi-
tions. A project's target groups may be farmers, consumers or
such as professional
those involved in the food business
kitchens,
the media or nutrition
experts.

institutions,

educational

services

for

The aid works in such a way that non-profit making bodies use
the aid they receive to activate other target groups such as
consumers or projects of benefit to farmers. For example, a
project providing information on the nutritional benefits of a
product may target consumers but the farmers producing the
products in question may also benefit indirectly in that this kind
of information can increase the product's value and so indirectly
also increase its consumption.

Projects must not mention a product's origin,
individual
products or brands and they must comply with the Act on
are
Discretionary Government Transfers. These measures
designed to ensure that there is no distortion of competition.

Aid intensity: The 100 % aid intensity provided for under Com-
munity rules is limited by Section 6 of the Finnish Act on
Discretionary Government Transfers, under which payment of
full compensation is possible only where justifiable and neces-
sary to achieve the aid's objectives.

A1 — Crop and animal production, hunting and related service
activities

Publicity

Annex I goods

Name and address of the granting authority:

Maa- ja metsätalousministeriö
PL 30
FI-00023 Valtioneuvosto

Website:

http://www.mmm.fi/fi/index/etusivu/maatalous/tuet/markkinoin-
nin_kehittaminen.html

Other information: The aid is granted and administered by the
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The aid amounts to
EUR 3 million per year, i.e. a total of EUR 15 million in the
years 2009 to 2013 inclusive. Aid can be granted to large

Publicity could involve, for example, food seasons and topics
that increase consumer interest in foods that promote health
and well-being. In addition to this recipes may also be published
in an electronic cookery book or through the mass media, for
instance.

Other activities might be briefings, seminars, visits and exhibi-
tions on topical subjects relating to agri-food production for
food, consumer or financial journalists and schools.

Websites and online study materials (which may also be in
printed form) can also be developed, providing information on
honey production, processing, properties and use, for example.

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Official Journal of the European Union

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The ‘nurses campaign’ aims to improve knowledge of good
nutrition on the part of public health nurses and parents and to
steer the nutritional behaviour of
families with children by
providing information and tools in support of food choices that
promote health and well-being.

Maximum aid intensity: The 100 % aid intensity provided for
under Community rules is limited by Section 6 of the Finnish
Act on Discretionary Government Transfers, under which
payment of full compensation is possible only where justifiable
and necessary to achieve the aid's objectives

School canteens and other similar canteens can provide informa-
tion on issues relating to the use of organic products. Publicity
may also require various background studies such as strategy
work, market research or study tours.

Date of implementation: 1.1.2009

Duration of aid scheme: 31.12.2013

Training

Training for farmers includes training on mushroom and berry
picking, involving for example an examination on two to four
plants or fungi at a time, those who successfully pass the exami-
nation having it noted on their ‘mushroom and berry picking
card’. Mushroom and berry picking courses can be organised
only at those times of the year when the products undergoing
study are available in the wild.

Farmers need information, for example, on the characteristics of
organic products in order to be able to develop production. To
promote this objective, training will be organised in collabora-
tion with industry bodies.

Objective of aid: The aid is granted to registered public associa-
tions and organizations, government authorities or other public-
sector bodies. The final beneficiary is a farmer deemed to be an
SME engaged in primary production.

The scheme comes under Article 15(2)(a), (c), (d) and (e) of
Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006

Sector(s) concerned:

NACE code

A1 — Crop and animal production, hunting and related service
activities

Annex I goods

Exchange of information

Name and address of the granting authority:

Exchanges of information may involve the organisation of fairs,
presentations, competitions or other activities promoting the
exchange of information between food-industry operators, and
participation therein.

Maa- ja metsätalousministeriö
PL 30
FI-00023 Valtioneuvosto

Website:

Advice

http://www.laatuketju.fi/laatuketju/www/fi/hankkeet/index.php

Aid may also be granted to advisory services for farmers

www.finlex.fi

Aid No: XA 353/08

Member State: Finland

Region: Whole country

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an indi-
vidual aid:

Elintarviketalouden laatujärjestelmien kehittäminen

Legal basis:

Valtionavustuslaki (688/2001), Valtioneuvoston asetus elintarvi-
ketalouden laatujärjestelmien kehittämisen avustamisesta (638/
2008)

expenditure

Annual
EUR 1,2 million/year. The
2009-2013

planned

under

scheme:
aid will apply in the years

the

Other information: The aid is granted and administered by the
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The aid amounts to
EUR 1,2 million per year, i.e. a total of EUR 6 million in the
years 2009 to 2013 inclusive. Aid can be granted for national
development projects implementing the food quality strategy
coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The
projects must improve the competitiveness of the food industry,
strengthen its social accountability (including the development
of traceability systems and compliance with ethics policies) and
increase consumer awareness of the food industry's activities.

A project may be implemented in the form of measures either
to improve the quality of agri-food products or operations or to
foster agri-food value chains, examples being information provi-
sion, studies, training and advice for agricultural producers or
the organisation of
information exchanges between those
working in the agri-food industry. Project target groups can
include agricultural producers, consumers or those involved in
the food business such as professional kitchens, educational
institutions, the media and nutrition experts. The final benefi-
ciary is a farmer deemed to be an SME engaged in primary
production.

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Official Journal of the European Union

7.2.2009

The aid system works in such a way that the beneficiaries (regis-
tered associations and organizations, research institutes, govern-
ment authorities and other public bodies) use the support
provided to implement national projects often of benefit to the
entire food chain. For example, projects publicising the work
undertaken to improve product quality in a given production
sector may target consumers.
In addition to consumers,
however, a project may indirectly benefit the farmers producing
the products in question. This kind of information can increase
confidence in both production and the product while at the
same time increasing the product's value, so indirectly increasing
its consumption.

Projects must not mention a product's origin,
individual
products or brands and they must comply with the Act on
Discretionary Government Transfers. These measures
are
designed to ensure that there is no distortion of competition.

The 100 % aid intensity provided for under Community rules is
limited by Section 6 of
the Finnish Act on Discretionary
Government Transfers, under which payment of full compensa-
tion is possible only where justifiable and necessary to achieve
the aid's objectives.

Publicity

Publicity may not include advertising.

Exchange of information

information may involve the organisation of
Exchanges of
presentations, competitions or other activities promoting the
exchange of information between food-industry operators, and
participation therein.

Advice

The aid may also be granted to advisory services for producers
of agricultural products

Aid No: XA 398/08

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: North-East England

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an indi-
vidual aid:

The following activities constitute authorised publicity:

Living North Pennines

— press articles and releases (e.g. on new ways to ensure the
welfare of domestic animals or on electronic data exchange
for monitoring the production of agricultural
systems
products),

Legal basis:

National Heritage Act (1980)

— riefings, seminars, visits and exhibitions on topical subjects
relating to agri-food production for food, consumer or
financial journalists and schools,

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of
aid granted to the company:
GBP 76 508

individual

— the development of websites and online study materials,
which may also be in printed form (e.g. hygiene require-
ments for berry picking, ensuring that cereals are disease-
free, animal welfare provisions, farming practices consistent
with sustainable development or consumer rights and expec-
tations), and

Maximum aid intensity: The aid intensity is up to 100 %
which will be used for the real costs incurred as regards to
investment or capital works intended for the conservation of
non-productive heritage features located on agricultural hold-
ings. The aid will be paid in line with Article 5(2) of Regulation
(EC) No 1857/2006

— publicity for professional kitchens (canteens in schools or
other similar establishments), e.g. matters relating to the
purchase of locally sourced products.

Publicity may also require various background studies such as
strategy work, market research or study tours.

Training

Training for producers of agricultural products may involve, for
example, hygiene training for berry pickers during which they
become familiar with good hygiene practice for picking and
transport. It may also cover, for instance, animal health inspec-
tion and electronic recording.

implementation: The

start on
Date of
28 November 2008 or on publication of the scheme by the
European Commission, whichever is later

scheme will

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: The scheme
will start on 28 November 2008 or on publication of
the
scheme by the European Commission, whichever is later. It will
close on the 31 December 2010. The last payment will be made
on 31 December 2010

Objective of aid: The aid is for capital works intended for the
conservation of a non-productive heritage feature located on the
agricultural holdings. The work to be carried out
includes
the structure by repairing and
restoration of
re-pointing and underpinning of
the structure to prevent it
from falling down. This is in accordance with Article 5(2) of
Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006

the walls of

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Sector(s) concerned: Agriculture — The farm business must
be classified as an SME as defined in Article 2(5) of Regulation
(EC) No 1857/2006

Name and address of the granting authority:

Heritage Lottery Fund
St Nicholas Building
St Nicholas Street
NE1 1RF Newcastle Upon Tyne
United Kingdom

The statutory body responsible for the scheme is:

Durham County Council
County Hall
DH1 5UL Durham
United Kingdom

The organisation operating the scheme is:

The North Pennines AONB Partnership
Weardale Business Centre
The Old Co-op Building
1 Martin Street
Stanhope
DL13 2UY County Durham
United Kingdom

Website:

http://www.northpennines.org.uk/getmedia.cfm?mediaid=11391

Other information: Further and more detailed information
relating to eligibility and rules for the scheme can be found in
the web links above