Commission Regulation (EC) No 817/2004 (repealed)Show full title

9. Description of the measures designed to implement the plans U.K.

Fifth indent of Article 43(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999

For each point below, provide:

a.

the main features of support measures,

b.

other information.

1.

General requirements

A.

Main features of support measures:

• list of measures in the order presented in Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999,

• identify the specific article (and paragraph) which covers each rural development payment measure. Where two or more articles are cited, the payment measure must be divided into its constituent parts,

• overall objective of each measure.

B.

Other information:

None.

2.

Requirements concerning all or several measures (1).

A.

Main features:

• exceptions referred to in the first indent of the second subparagraph of Article 37(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999.

B.

Other information:

• Community contribution based on either the total cost or public expenditure,

• aid intensity and/or amount and differentiation applied (Chapters I to VIII),

• details of eligibility conditions,

• criteria to demonstrate economic viability (Chapters I, II, IV and VII),

• usual good farming practice (Chapters V and VI),

• minimum standards regarding environment, hygiene and animal welfare (Chapters I, II and VII),

• level of occupational skill and competence required (Chapters I, II and IV),

• sufficient assessment of the existence of normal market outlets for the products concerned (Chapters I and VII) in accordance with Articles 6 and 26 of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999,

• description of all ongoing contracts (from the previous period), including in financial terms, and the procedures/rules which apply to these.

3.

Information required for specific measures

In addition, the following specific information is required for measures under the individual chapters:

I.

Investment in agricultural holdings

A.

Main features:

• primary production sectors and types of investments.

B.

Other information:

• maximum limits on total amount of investment eligible for support,

• types of support,

• designation of the standards for which a period of grace can be granted to the farmer in accordance with Article 5(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999, justification related to the specific problems involved in complying with these standards and maximum duration of the period per standard concerned.

II.

Start-up assistance for young farmers

A.

Main features:

None.

B.

Other information:

• length of time allowed for young farmers to fulfil the eligibility criteria within the five-year period authorised under Article 4(2) of this Regulation,

• age limit,

• conditions applying to young farmers not established as sole head of the holding or who start up as members of associations or cooperatives whose main purpose is to manage an agricultural holding,

• type of start-up support,

• designation of farm advisory services linked to the setting-up of young farmers in cases where the support granted is higher than provided for in the second subparagraph of Article 8(2)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999.

III.

Training

A.

Main features:

None.

B.

Other information:

• eligible measures and beneficiaries,

• assurance that no normal education system or programmes are proposed for financing.

IV.

Early retirement

A.

Main features:

None.

B.

Other information:

• detailed description of conditions concerning transferor, transferee, worker and land released, in particular the use of land to be retained by the transferor for non-commercial purposes and the length of time allowed to improve viability,

• type of aid, including a description of the method used for calculating the maximum amount to be part-financed per holding and a justification for each type of beneficiary,

• description of national retirement and early-retirement schemes,

• details on the duration of the aid.

V.

Less-favoured areas and areas with environmental restrictions

A.

Main features:

• amount of aid:

  1.

  for compensatory allowances under Article 13(a) of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999: proposals to exceed the maximum amount which can be part-financed in accordance with the second subparagraph of Article 15(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 must include the necessary justification. Specify how it will be assured that the upper limit for compensatory allowances is complied with in these cases and explain the administrative procedure by which compliance with the maximum amount that can be part-financed will be ensured; where the maximum payment as laid down in the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 is applied, indicate the objective circumstances justifying this application;

  2.

  for compensatory allowances under Articles 13(b) and 16 of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999: the initial detailed agronomic calculations showing: (a) income foregone and costs incurred as a result of the environmental restrictions, (b) agronomic assumptions used as reference point;

  3.

  for compensatory allowances as referred to in Article 16 of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999:

  • indicate, if necessary, the specific problems justifying a higher support than the maximum amount, as provided for in the first subparagraph of Article 16(3) of the above Regulation,

  • indicate, if necessary, the justification for initially higher support as provided for in the second subparagraph of Article 16(3) of the above Regulation.

B.

Other information:

• details of eligibility conditions, in particular:

  1.

  definition of the minimum area;

  2.

  description of the appropriate conversion mechanism used in the case of common pastures;

  3.

  amount of aid for payments referred to in Article 13(a) of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999: justification of differentiation of the amount of aid using the criteria set out in Article 15(2) of that Regulation;

  4.

  for compensatory allowances referred to in Article 13(b) and Article 16 of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999: changes to the detailed agronomic calculations fixed in the programming document as approved;

• amendments to the lists of less-favoured areas adopted or amended by Council and Commission Directives, and the list of areas with environmental restrictions.

VI.

Meeting standards

• Implementing demanding standards

  A.

  Main features:

  • list of standards based on Community legislation eligible for support under Article 21b of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999, date from which the standard is mandatory in accordance with Community legislation and justification of choice.

  B.

  Other information:

  • description of the significant impact on farm operating costs stemming from the obligations or restrictions imposed by the new standard;

  • amount of support per eligible standard and detailed calculations justifying this amount.

• Use of farm advisory services

  A.

  Main features:

  None.

  B.

  Other information:

  • description of the farm advisory system put in place by the Member State, including the procedure for the selection of the bodies responsible for the advisory services,

  • frequency of support granted to a farmer for the use of agricultural advisory services in the four areas referred to in Article 21d(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999.

VII.

Agri-environment and animal welfare

A.

Main features:

• justification for the commitments, based on their expected impact,

• the initial detailed agronomic calculations showing: (a) income foregone and cost incurred in relation to usual good farming practice; (b) the agronomic assumptions used as reference point; (c) the level of incentive and a justification for this based on objective criteria.

B.

Other information:

• the list of local breeds in danger of being lost to farming and the number of breeding females for the areas concerned. That number must be certified by a duly recognised technical body — or breeder's organisation/association — which must register and keep up-to-date the herd or flock book for the breed. The body concerned must possess the necessary skills and knowledge to identify animals of the breeds in,

• for plant genetic resources under threat of genetic erosion, evidence of genetic erosion based upon scientific results and indicators for the occurrence of landraces/primitive (local) varieties, their population diversity and the prevailing agricultural practices at local level,

• details of obligations on farmers and any other terms of the commitment, including scope and procedures for adjusting of running contracts,

• changes to the level of support up to 120 % of the costs and income lost indicated in the agronomic calculations fixed in the programming document as approved and the justification for these changes,

• description of coverage of the measure, showing its scope in relation to needs and its degree of targeting in terms of geographical, sectoral or other coverage,

• for all the agri-environment and animal welfare commitments together, the possible ways of combining commitments should be shown and the mutual consistency of commitments should be ensured.

VIII.

Food quality

• Participation in food quality schemes

  A.

  Main features

  • list of Community and national quality schemes eligible for support. For national schemes, description of the scheme regarding the criteria referred to in Article 24b(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999.

  B.

  Other information

  • amount of support per type of eligible scheme and justification for fixed costs as provided for in Article 24c of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999.

• Promotion of quality products

  A.

  Main features

  None.

  B.

  Other information

  • list of products qualifying for support under the quality scheme chosen under the measure referred to in VIII.1,

  • procedure for ensuring that actions benefiting from rural development support are not also supported under Council Regulation (EC) No 2826/2000,

  • procedure for ex ante checks on information, promotion, and advertising materials (Article 26 of this Regulation),

  • description of eligible costs.

IX.

Improving the processing and marketing of agricultural products

A.

Main features

• sectors of basic agricultural production

B.

Other information

• criteria to prove economic benefits for primary producers,

• designation of the standards for which a period of grace can be granted to the small processing units in accordance with Article 26(1), second indent, of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999, justification related to the specific problems involved in complying with these standards and maximum duration of the period per standard concerned.

X.

Forestry

A.

Main features:

None.

B.

Other information:

• definition of:

  (i)

  ‘agricultural land’ in relation to Article 32 of this Regulation;

  (ii)

  ‘farmer’ in relation to Article 33 of this Regulation;

  (iii)

  provisions ensuring that the planned measures are suited to local conditions and compatible with the environment as well as keeping balance between forestry and game populations where applicable;

  (iv)

  contractual arrangements between regions and potential beneficiaries concerning measures referred to in Article 32 of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999.

• where the standard costs referred to in Article 46 are applied:

  (i)

  the standard unit costs;

  (ii)

  the method used to fix those costs;

  (iii)

  compliance with the criterion of avoidance of overcompensation

• description of eligible measures and beneficiaries;

• linkage between proposed measures and national/sub-national forest programmes or equivalent instruments;

• reference to the forest protection plans for areas classified as high or medium risk for forest fires and the conformity of proposed measures with these protection plans.

XI.

Promoting the adaptation and development of rural areas

A.

Main features:

• description and justification of the action proposed under each measure.

B.

Other information:

• definition of financial engineering, which must comply with the general eligibility criteria.