Summary information communicated by Member States regarding State aid granted under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1/2004 of 23 December 2003 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises active in the production, processing and marketing of agricultural products

(2006/C 122/03)

Aid No: XA 13/2006

Member State: Slovenia

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving individual aid: Co-financing insurance premiums to insure crops and yield in 2006

Legal basis: Uredba o sofinanciranje zavarovalnih premij za zavarovanje posevkov in plodov v letu 2006

Annual expenditure planned/overall amount of individual aid granted to company: The expenditure planned for 2006 totals SIT 500 000 000 (EUR 2 085 940)

Maximum aid intensity: 30 % of the expenditure on insurance premiums to insure agricultural crops against damage from hail, fire and lightening

Date of implementation: March 2006

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: The aid may be granted up to 31 December 2006

Objective of aid: Aid in accordance with Article 11 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1/2004 — Aid towards the payment of insurance premiums

The purpose of paying a proportion of the expenditure on insurance premiums is to encourage agricultural producers to insure themselves against potential losses due to natural hazards or adverse weather conditions, whilst taking responsibility for managing this area of risk

Sectors: Agriculture — plant production.

Name and address of the granting authority:

Website address: http://www.mkgp.gov.si/index.php?id=1037

Aid No: XA 14/06

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: Somerset (The aid will be available in the administrative county of Somerset, the area covered by the Exmoor National Park, and the area covered by the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty)

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Food Sector Support Service — Somerset FS4

Legal basis: Sections 4 and 5 of The Regional Development Agencies Act 1998

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company:

Maximum aid intensity: 100 %

Date of implementation:

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: The scheme will end on 30 June 2007. It is currently planned to extend the scheme after this date, but only if further State aid clearance can be obtained

Objective of aid: Sectoral development

The objective of the aid is to provide support for SMEs who are involved in the production and processing of food with the principal aims of increasing opportunities in the market place.

The aid is being implemented under Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1/2004. The eligible costs will be:

the costs of organising training programmes;

consultancy services; and

the organisation of and participation in exhibitions and trade fairs (participation fees, costs of publications and the rent of exhibitions premises).

Sector(s) concerned: The scheme will apply to businesses involved in agricultural production, processing and marketing. The scheme will apply to all subsectors

Name and address of the granting authority:

The organisation operating the scheme is

Web address: http://www.somerset.foodlinks.org.uk

Click on ‘Project Areas’ and then click on ‘Food Sector Support Service — Somerset (FS4)’.

Alternatively, you can visit the UK's central page for exempted agricultural State aids at

http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/state-aid/setup/exist-exempt.htm.

Click on the ‘Food Sector Support Service — Somerset (FS4)’.

Other information: The scheme will be made available to some non-agricultural businesses. Aid to non-agricultural businesses will be paid with regard to Commission Regulation (EC) No 69/2001.

Beneficiaries will not be able to choose their own service provider. The service provider will be Somerset Food Links who will provide consultants who were selected by a tendering exercise on the basis of market principles in line with Article 14(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1/2004

Aid No: XA 15/06

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: England

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving individual aid: England Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative 2006-2007 (ECSFDI)

Legal basis: This is a non-statutory service, participation in which is voluntary. The Agriculture Act 1986 (section 1) provides the legal base for the provision by Government of advice in connection with any agricultural activity.

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company:

The Initiative will close on 30 June 2007. However, subject to State aid clearance, Defra intends to extend the Initiative until 31 March 2008. This extension period has already been allocated GBP 11,25 million

Maximum aid intensity: 100 %

Date of implementation: The new programme will start from 1 April 2006.

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: To 30 June 2007

Objective of aid: Environmental protection. The aim of the ECSFDI is to raise awareness of diffuse water pollution from agriculture (dwpa) and to encourage early voluntary action by farmers to tackle dwpa in forty priority catchments. It will contribute to the achievement of domestic and international environmental targets, in particular the Water Framework Directive.

The eligible costs will be consultancy for the mitigation of diffuse water pollution. Such aid will be granted in line with Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1/2004 and the eligible expenses will be consultancy services

Sectors concerned: The beneficiaries of the ECSFDI will be involved in the production of agricultural products only. All subsectors will be eligible

Name and address of the granting authority:

Managed on Defra's behalf by

Web-address: More information on ECSFDI and the wider CSF programme, and the full text for this document can be found at:

www.defra.gov.uk/farm/environment/water

click on State aid on the left hand side of this page.

Other information: Beneficiaries will not be able to choose the service provider. The service provider will be Natural England, an executive agency of the UK Government.

Signed and dated on behalf of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (UK competent authority

Stephen Anderson

Agricultural State Aid Team Leader

Defra

8E9 Millbank

17 Smith Square

London SW1P 3JR

United Kingdom

Aid No: XA 16/2006

Member State: France

Department: Hérault

Title of aid scheme: Aid for material investments allowing products to be traced.

Legal basis:

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme: EUR 70 000

Maximum aid intensity: The aid will take the form of a grant at a rate of 40 % of the eligible investments, exclusive of tax. The ceiling for eligible investment is EUR 15 000 in general cases. It is EUR 30 000 if an agricultural cooperative has two production sites

Date of implementation and duration of the aid scheme: Until 31 December 2006

Objective of the aid: This measure is a continuation, extended to all sectors engaged in the production, processing and marketing of farm products, of that approved under N 234/2002. It falls within the scope of Article 4(3)(a) and (c) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1/2004 of 23 December 2003 and is aimed at improving food quality and safety. It will make it possible to finance investments serving as a basis for traceability, such as:

software (e.g. GIS), apart from that required for office systems,

computers, with the exception of software for day-to-day management.

Sectors concerned: All farm cooperatives in Hérault involved in all sectors of agricultural production, processing and marketing

Name and address of the granting authority:

Address of website: This aid scheme is published on the website of the Department of Hérault: http://www.cg34.fr. To go to the relevant page, use the following path:

economie/agriculture/production/viticulture/en savoir plus: aides aux coopératives agricoles.

Aid No: XA 18/2006

Member State: Spain

Region: Catalonia

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Pilot plan on global farm contracts

Legal basis: Orden ARP/307/2005, de 7 de julio, por la que se aprueban las bases reguladoras del plan piloto de los contratos globales de explotación, y se convocan los correspondientes al año 2005.

Orden ARP/405/2005, de 13 de octubre, por la cual se modifican las bases reguladoras del plan piloto de los contratos globales de explotación aprobados por la Orden ARP/307/2005, de 7 de julio (DOGC núm. 4494, de 21.10.2005, pág. 33529)

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company (amounts are to be given in euro or, if applicable, national currency. In the case of an aid scheme, indicate the annual overall amount of the budget appropriation(s) or the estimated tax loss per year for all aid instruments contained in the scheme. In the case of an individual aid award, indicate the overall aid amount/tax loss. If appropriate, indicate also for how many years the aid will be paid in instalments or over how many years tax losses will be incurred. For guarantees in both cases, indicate the (maximum) amount of loans guaranteed): The annual expenditure planned is EUR 2 200 000

Maximum aid intensity:

Date of implementation:

Duration of aid scheme or individual aid award:

Objective of aid: Investment in agricultural holdings (Article 4). Investment pursuing the following objectives will be subsidised:

Improvement in the living and working conditions of farmers and farm workers. Investment taken into consideration will aim to improve agricultural practices and farming-related tasks.

Quality improvement and management of production based on market needs and, where appropriate, to meet Community quality standards and diversify farm activities by investing in the classification, conditioning, manufacture, processing and marketing of the holding's agricultural products.

Adaptation of holdings to reduce production costs, save energy/water, or incorporate new technologies, including computerisation and electronic data transmission.

Compliance with recently established minimum standards for the environment, hygiene and animal welfare (standards entering into force one year before the application is made).

Improvement in hygiene conditions of livestock enterprises and in animal welfare, the protection and improvement of soil, plant cover and the environment

The following activities are excluded from investment eligible for support:

The purchase of land, except in cases provided for under Article 16 of Royal Decree 613/2001 of 8 June 2001.

The purchase of machinery and of any type of tools, except where first purchase is involved, or such items are acquired and are necessary for the holding's viability when it increases in physical size or changes its production type.

The diversification of productive activities through rural tourism, hunting and handicraft activities.

Acquisition of vehicles.

Acquisition of production rights.

Activities aimed simply at substituting, replacing or renewing items on the holding.

Investment and productive sectors subject to the restrictions in paragraph 4 of Annex I to Royal Decree 613/2001 of 8 June 2001

Relocation of buildings in the public interest (Article 6): eligible costs are those incurred as part of relocation (dismantling, removal and rebuilding).

Setting up of young farmers (Article 8): eligible costs are those in pursuit of the following objectives: assistance with all costs linked to the setting up of young farmers in order to help them become first-time owners of agricultural holdings which will become priority holdings.

Insurance for agricultural production (Article 11): encouragement is given to the use in Catalonia of agricultural insurance. This will be applied in accordance with the combined annual agricultural insurance plans approved by the central administration.

Specific technical consultancy (Article 14): encouragement is given to specific consultancy services geared towards the type of farming on each holding.

Improvement in food quality (Article 13): encouragement is given to the development of quality agricultural products differentiated by their origin or manufacture. Eligible costs relate to registration or annual quotas during the first five years and, on a degressive basis, to the relevant Regulatory Council, or ‘Q mark’ certification costs.

Investment in the protection and improvement of the environment, hygiene and animal welfare (Article 4(3)(d)): encouragement is given to investment entailing increased costs linked to the protection and improvement of the environment, to the improvement of hygiene conditions of livestock enterprises, or to the promotion of animal welfare. Eligible costs relate to investment in pursuit of the following objectives:

Compliance with recently established minimum standards for the environment, hygiene and animal welfare (standards entering into force one year before the application is made)

Improvement in hygiene conditions of livestock enterprises and in animal welfare, the protection and improvement of soil, plant cover and the environment.

Investment in the conservation of the landscape (Article 5): investment is encouraged which involves heritage conservation, e.g. conservation of archaeological or historical items. Eligible costs are those relating to the following:

The application of landscape criteria when improving or constructing agricultural buildings and installations.

Conservation and maintenance of traditional agricultural buildings.

Integral restoration of drystone walls in a poor state of conservation.

Preservation of holding surroundings by maintaining vegetation growing on verges, and by maintaining fences and small, isolated areas of forest.

Planting of trees to integrate and/or hide buildings creating an impact.

The change or harmonisation of locking systems.

Clearing-up after fly-tipping.

Relocation or improvement of containers or other conspicuous items.

Repair, replacement or progressive demolition of structures which are in a precarious state or in disuse.

Other types of investment not listed above may be assisted, provided that the board responsible for assessing applications considers that such investment meets the aims of this measure.

Processing and marketing of agricultural products (Article 7): encouragement is given to increasing competitiveness and value added by means of investment in the processing and marketing of agricultural products. Eligible costs are: construction, acquisition of immovable property except for the purchase of land, the purchase of machinery and new equipment.

Diversification of farm activities (Article 4(3)(e)): encouragement is given to enhancing economic alternatives in farming, and to promoting rural tourism and non-food rural handicrafts, so that income from these activities might supplement agricultural income. Eligible costs will be:

The construction, acquisition or improvement of immovable property;

The purchase or lease-purchase of new machinery and equipment, including computer software;

General costs reaching up to 12 % of those above

Labour replacement services for a fixed period (Article 14(2)(b)): encouragement is given to improving the quality of work and quality of life of farmers who are primarily active in the sphere of agriculture, by supporting the provision of services to replace the farm owner or farm workers in the event of sickness, maternity, holidays or weekly rest periods.

Investment in improving housing (Article 4): investment in farmers' usual place of residence is encouraged, provided that the residence is linked to premises for meeting the needs of agricultural or complementary activities and is located in a rural settlement of fewer than 3 000 inhabitants, or is housing located on land which cannot be developed.

Sector(s) concerned: The aid scheme concerns all agricultural subsectors, as well as production, processing and marketing.

Name and address of the granting authority:

Web address: https://www.gencat.net/diari_c/4424/05186151.htm

Other information: Beneficiaries will be those companies which are SMEs based on the definition in Annex I to Commission Regulation (EC) No 70/2001 of 12 January 2001 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises, as amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 364/2004 of 25 February 2004