The conditions for support for the setting up of young farmers provided for in Article 22(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 shall be met at the time when the application for support is lodged.

However, a period not exceeding 36 months may be allowed from the date the individual decision to grant support is taken in order to meet the conditions relating to occupational skills and competence referred to in Article 22(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005, if the young farmer needs a period of adaptation in which to set up or to restructure the holding, provided that the business plan referred to in point (c) of that paragraph provides for such a need.

Compliance with the business plan shall be assessed by the competent authority no later than five years from the date of the individual decision granting support. Member States shall, taking account of the circumstances in which the business plan is implemented, define the conditions for recovery of support already received if the young farmer fails to comply with the provisions of the business plan at the time of the assessment.

The individual decision to grant support for the setting up of young farmers shall be taken no later than 18 months after setting up as defined by the provisions in force in the Member States. In the case of support in the form of a single premium as set out in the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 and for the purpose of paragraph 3 of this Article, a Member State may divide its payment into up to five instalments.

Member States may decide that where the business plan makes reference to the use of other rural development measures provided for in Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005, the approval of the young farmer’s application by the competent authority also gives access to those other measures. In such case, the information to be supplied by the applicant must be sufficiently detailed to support an application for support under those other measures.

Specific conditions may be applied in a situation where a young farmer is not established as sole head of the agricultural holding. Those conditions must be equivalent to those required for a young farmer setting up as sole head of a holding.