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: 2010-05-11
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: France, Lithuania, Spain, State aid, United Kingdom, aid to agriculture, control of State aid, small and medium-sized enterprises








C_2010122EN.01000501.xml










11.5.2010   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 122/5





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 Treaty to State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises active in the production of agricultural products and amending Regulation (EC) No 70/2001
2010/C 122/05
Aid No: XA 25/10
Member State: Lithuania
Region: —
Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Pagalba kokybiškų žemės ūkio produktų gamybai skatinti (Schemos XA 165/08 pakeitimas)
Legal basis: Lietuvos Respublikos žemės ūkio ministro 2010 m. vasario 1 d. įsakymas Nr. 3D-62 „Dėl žemės ūkio ministro 2007 m. balandžio 23 d. įsakymo Nr. 3D-184 „Dėl pagalbos kokybiškų žemės ūkio produktų gamybai skatinti teikimo taisyklių patvirtinimo“ pakeitimo“
Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: LTL 2 000 000 (EUR 1 448 100 at the official exchange rate)
Maximum aid intensity: 






1.


Up to 100 % of the costs of preparing applications to register protected designations of origin or protected geographical indications in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 510/2006.










2.


Up to 100 % of the costs of preparing applications to register a traditional speciality guaranteed in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 509/2006.




Date of implementation: The aid scheme will enter into force after the Commission has sent a notice of receipt, assigned an identification number to the scheme and published the summary information on the internet.
Provisional date of entry into force: 1 March 2010
Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Until 31 December 2013
Objective of aid: Aid to SMEs
To encourage the primary production of quality agricultural products in accordance with Article 14 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006
Sector(s) concerned: Primary production of agricultural products
Name and address of the granting authority: 





Lietuvos Respublikos žemės ūkio ministerija




Gedimino pr. 19 (Lelevelio g. 6)




LT-01103 Vilnius




LIETUVA/LITHUANIA




Website: http://www.zum.lt/lt/zemes-ukio-ministerija/maisto-sauga-ir-kokybe/valstybes-pagalba/teises-aktai/
Other information: 






—


Once it enters into force, this State aid scheme will replace the previous scheme, XA 165/08 ‘Pagalba kokybiškų žemės ūkio produktų gamybai skatinti’ (Aid to encourage the production of quality agricultural products).










—


Under the implementing rules for this State aid scheme, de minimis aid is also granted in accordance with Commission Regulation (EC) No 1998/2006 of 15 December 2006 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the Treaty to de minimis aid (OJ L 379, 28.12.2006, p. 5). However, producers of primary agricultural products will not be granted de minimis aid under these rules.




Aid No: XA 28/10
Member State: Spain
Region: Comunidad Autónoma de Andalucía
Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Ayudas dirigidas a las Agrupaciones de Producción Integrada (APIs) para la prestación de servicios de asesoría.
Legal basis: Orden de de de 2010, por la que se establecen las bases reguladoras para la concesión de las ayudas dirigidas a las Agrupaciones de Producción Integrada (APIs) para la prestación de servicios de asesoría, y se procede a su convocatoria para 2010.
Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: EUR 2 600 000
Maximum aid intensity: Between 70 % and 90 %; this is therefore below the maximum limit of 100 % provided for in the Exemption Regulation
Date of implementation: From the date on which the identification number of the exemption request is published on the website of the Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development
Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Until 31 December 2013
Objective of aid: Technical Assistance, Article 15 of the Regulation
Sector(s) concerned: The measure affects two sectors: cotton and cut flowers, carnations and mini-carnations that come under the following codes:
A10106 — Growing of fibre crops
A10109 — Growing of other non-perennial crops
Aid instrument: Grants
Name and address of the granting authority: 





Consejería de Agricultura y Pesca de la Junta de Andalucía




C/ Tabladilla, s/n




41071 Sevilla




ESPAÑA




Website: http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/agriculturaypesca/portal/www/portal/com/bin/portal/DGPAgraria/Sanidad_Vegetal/borrador_orden_apis/borrador_orden_apis_servicios_de_asesorxa.pdf
Other information: 






—


The final beneficiaries of this aid are SMEs active in the primary production of agricultural products. Nevertheless, the aid provided for in this Order is distributed via the APIs (Integrated Production Groups) given that, in conformity with Article 15(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006, aid is to be granted in the form of subsidised services and does not involve direct payments of money to producers.










—


The consultancy service will have to be available to all those entitled in the area in question, on the basis of objectively defined conditions, and membership of the APIs is not a prerequisite for access to this service. Any contribution by non-members towards the administrative costs of the Integrated Production Group or organisation concerned must be limited to the proportional costs of providing the service.










—


In accordance with the provisions of Article 18(1)(c) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 of 15 December 2006, aid will be granted only as provided for in this Order for activities carried out after the presentation of the request and, furthermore, after the acceptance by the competent authority of the relevant aid request in a manner which obliges that authority to grant the aid, clearly indicating the amount of aid to be granted or the method that will be used to calculate this amount.




Aid No: XA 29/10
Member State: Spain
Region: Cataluña
Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Ayudas para el fomento de la instalación de mallas para la protección de los cultivos agrícolas.
Legal basis: Proyecto de Orden AAR/XX/2010, de XX de XX de 2010, por la cual se aprueban las bases reguladoras de las ayudas para la implantación de mallas de protección de los cultivos de las explotaciones agrícolas de Cataluña, y se convocan las correspondientes al 2010.
Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: The maximum amount provided for the three-year period from 2010-2012 is EUR 24 million, broken down into EUR 7 million for 2010, EUR 8 million for 2011 and EUR 9 million for 2012.
Maximum eligible investment may not exceed EUR 15 000 per hectare in the case of ligneous crops and EUR 25 000 per hectare in the case of horticultural crops and ornamental plants.
The aid consists of a 100 % rebate on the interest on loans granted by the competent authority. Loans granted will be up to 100 % of eligible investment, with 100 % rebate on the interest, within the limits laid down in Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 as regards intensity and amount.
Maximum aid intensity: The overall intensity of the aid may not exceed 50 % of eligible investment in less-favoured areas nor 40 % in other areas in accordance with the provisions of Article 4(2)(a), (b) and (c) of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006.
Date of implementation: The aid scheme will enter into force on the date on which the identification number of the exemption request provided for in Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 is published on the website of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development and will apply until 31 December 2012.
Duration of scheme or individual aid award: From 2010 to 2012
Objective of aid: Investment in agricultural holdings (Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006)
The objective is to promote the installation of netting to protect crops, in order to:
Sector(s) concerned: Primary producers in the agricultural sector
NACE Code:
01. — Agriculture, hunting and related service activities
Name and address of the granting authority: 





Departament d’Agricultura, Alimentació i Acció Rural




Generalitat de Catalunya




Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 612-614




08007 Barcelona




ESPAÑA




Website: http://www20.gencat.cat/docs/DAR/DE_Departament/DE03_Normativa/DE03_04_Ajuts_estat/2010/Documents/Fitxers_estatics/10033061.pdf
Other information: 





Direcció General d’Agricultura i Ramaderia




Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 612-614




08007 Barcelona




ESPAÑA




Aid No: XA 46/10
Member State: United Kingdom
Region: England — (Northumberland)
Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Extension to the River Till Sheep Dip Reduction Project (previous scheme XA 318/08) now known as the ‘Sheep Dip Reduction Project’
Legal basis: Agricultural Act 1986 Section 1(c)
Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: The total budget is GBP 20 000 from 1 April 2010 and will be paid as one-off payments on completion of work.
Maximum aid intensity: The aid intensity is 50 % per dipper improvement which is in line with Article 4(3)(d) of the Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006.
Date of implementation: The scheme will start on 1 April 2010.
Duration of scheme or individual aid award: The scheme will begin on 1 April 2010. It will close to all applications on the 31 May 2010. The last payment will be made 31 March 2011.
Objective of aid: The aim of the Sheep Dip Reduction Project is to minimise the risk of the sheep dip pollution in the Tweed (England), Aln, Coquet and Coastal Streams Catchment whilst farmers continue to effectively control ecto-parasite in sheep. This will be done by making improvements to the sheep dippers. This is in accordance with Article 4 (3)(d) of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006.
The farm business will be classified as a small-sized enterprise (SME) in line with Article 2.5 of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006.
Sector(s) concerned: This project is applicable to producers who suffer from ecto-parasites. It is open to all agricultural sectors.
Name and address of the granting authority: 





The statutory body responsible for the scheme is:




Environment Agency




Tyneside House




Skinnerburn Road




Newcastle




NE4 7AR




UNITED KINGDOM









The organisation operating the scheme is:




Environment Agency




Tyneside House




Skinnerburn Road




Newcastle




NE4 7AR




UNITED KINGDOM




Website: http://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/livingin/grantsandsupport/rivertilldipfund.htm
Other information: Further and more detailed information relating to eligibility and rules for the scheme can be found in the web links above.
This is not a new scheme, it is an extension of the pre-existing Scheme XA 318/08. The only change is to extend the pre-existing scheme by one year because of additional funding of GBP 20 000 and it is being extended beyond the geographical area.
Aid No: XA 55/10
Member State: France
Region: Département du Gers
Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Aides aux investissements collectifs en CUMA (coopératives d’utilisation de matériel agricole) dans le département du Gers.
Legal basis: 






—


Articles L 1511-1 et suivants, article L 4211-1 du code général des collectivités territoriales;










—


Délibération du Conseil général du Gers.




Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: EUR 100 000 per year (maximum)
Maximum aid intensity: 15 %
Aid for equipment and tractors:
Aid for the construction of sheds:
Date of implementation: From receipt of the acknowledgement of receipt showing the identification number of the measure and publication of the summary of the measure on the Commission website
Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Until 31 December 2013
Objective of aid: This aid scheme comes under Article 4 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 of 15 December 2006.
The aim of this scheme will be to facilitate the purchase of equipment to promote a collective rural development dynamic, in particular in relation to improving environmental or cultivation conditions on farms (equipment such as mechanical weeding equipment, for example, which is a means of improving environmental protection) or to promote shed construction.
The following equipment shall be eligible for departmental aid:
Aid for equipment: only purchases of new equipment, not purchased to replace other equipment, will be eligible:
soil working equipment to facilitate soil working techniques and enable mechanical weeding: plant shredders, rotating shredders, hoes, weeders, decompactors, tooth and disc stubble cleaners and seeders to facilitate working the soil,
equipment for adding organic material: compost spreaders, organic matter spreaders, manure spreaders and slurry vats equipped with spreader systems, etc.,
grass working equipment: mowers, windrowers, haymakers, bale-wrappers, presses, windrow turners, etc.,
containment equipment,
specific equipment for growing tobacco: tobacco harvesters,
oil presses.
Aid for tractors, both when a ‘tractor’ group is set up by a cooperative for the use of agricultural equipment (CUMA) and for a single tractor (first purchase).
Aid for building sheds for CUMA activities or to house equipment.
The general Council has decided that only half the budget earmarked for this programme may be spent on the purchase of tractors or shed construction.
Furthermore, aid will be paid exclusively to:
farms whose size does not exceed that of an SME as defined in EU legislation (cf. Annex I to Commission Regulation (EC) No 800/2008 (OJ L 214 of 9 August 2008)),
farms that are enterprises active in the primary production of agricultural products,
farms that are not enterprises in difficulty within the meaning of the Community guidelines on State aid for the rescue and restructuring of companies in difficulty (OJ C 244 of 1 October 2004).
Sector(s) concerned: All cooperatives for the use of agricultural equipment (CUMA) in Gers, including all types of production.
Name and address of the granting authority: 





Monsieur le Président du Conseil général du Gers




Direction de l’Agriculture, de l’Eau et de l’Environnement




81 route de Pessan




32000 Auch




FRANCE




Website: http://www.gers-gascogne.com/ovidentia/index.php?tg=articles&idx=More&topics=408&article=1815
Other information: —