TITLE IVU.K. EIP FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY AND SUSTAINABILITY
Article 55U.K.Aims
1.The EIP for agricultural productivity and sustainability shall:
(a)promote a resource efficient, economically viable, productive, competitive, low emission, climate friendly and resilient agricultural and forestry sector, working towards agro-ecological production systems and working in harmony with the essential natural resources on which farming and forestry depend;
(b)help deliver a steady and sustainable supply of food, feed and biomaterials, including existing and new types;
(c)improve processes to preserve the environment, adapt to climate change and mitigate it;
(d)build bridges between cutting-edge research knowledge and technology and farmers, forest managers, rural communities, businesses, NGOs and advisory services.
2.The EIP for agricultural productivity and sustainability shall seek to achieve its aims by:
(a)creating added value by better linking research and farming practice and encouraging the wider use of available innovation measures;
(b)promoting the faster and wider transposition of innovative solutions into practice; and
(c)informing the scientific community about the research needs of farming practice.
3.The EAFRD shall contribute to the aims of the EIP for agricultural productivity and sustainability through support, in accordance with Article 35, of the EIP operational groups referred to in Article 56 and the EIP network referred to in Article 53.
Article 56U.K.Operational groups
1.EIP operational groups shall form part of the EIP for agricultural productivity and sustainability. They shall be set up by interested actors such as farmers, researchers, advisors and businesses involved in the agriculture and food sector, who are relevant for achieving the objectives of the EIP.
2.EIP operational groups shall establish internal procedures that ensure, that their operation and decision-making is transparent and that situations of conflict of interest are avoided.
3.The Member States shall decide within the framework of their programmes to what extent they will support the operational groups.
Article 57U.K.Tasks of operational groups
1.EIP operational groups shall draw up a plan that contains the following:
(a)a description of the innovative project to be developed, tested, adapted or implemented;
(b)a description of the expected results and the contribution to the EIP objective of enhancing productivity and sustainable resource management.
2.When implementing their innovative projects operational groups shall:
(a)make decisions on the elaboration and implementation of innovative actions; and
(b)implement innovative actions through measures financed through the rural development programmes.
3.Operational groups shall disseminate the results of their project, in particular through the EIP network.