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 EC Treaty to State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises active in the production of agricultural products and amending Regulation (EC) No 70/2001

(2007/C 154/04)

XA Number: XA 18/07

Member State: Czech Republic

Region: Vysočina

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Podpora investic v zemědělských podnicích

Legal basis:

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: Annual expenditure of a maximum of CZK 5 000 000

Maximum aid intensity: Amount of aid: up to 50 % of eligible expenditure on investments in building and technology, including eligible expenditure on the technical part of the documentation, which covers the building notification or permit.

Eligible costs which may qualify for a financial contribution range from CZK 20 000 to CZK 2 000 000 per individual project.

The maximum amount of a financial contribution per beneficiary/project holder is CZK 3 500 000 for the period 2007-2013.

Date of implementation: From 1 March 2007

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Until 31 December 2013

Objective of aid: The aid is targeted at investments which will enhance the efficiency of agricultural undertakings, with a view to improving their competitiveness.

This aid is in compliance with generally applicable legislation in the Czech Republic as well as with the objectives and priorities of the ‘Development Programme for the Vysočina Region’ and the ‘Rules of the Vysočina Regional Assembly on the granting of financial contributions from the Vysočina regional budget to assist agriculture in the Vysočina region for the period 2007-2013, and the method of monitoring their use’. The aid is governed by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 of 15 December 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.

The following are regarded as eligible costs: expenditure on the construction, purchase, modernisation and reconstruction of facilities and technology used for rearing cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, gallinaceous poultry, water fowl and bees, including improved areas for the storage of animal waste, and expenditure on the construction, purchase, modernisation and reconstruction of facilities and technology used for the storage of root crops.

Eligible costs include expenditure on processing and obtaining the technical part of the documentation, relating to the building notification or permit.

Sector(s) concerned: Activities relating to the primary production of agricultural products.

Name and address of the granting authority:

Web address: http://www.kr-vysocina.cz/

Other information: Vysočina Region declares that the conditions laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 will be met, i.e. the aid will be targeted at small and medium-sized enterprises engaged in primary agricultural production, and that the financial limit set in that Regulation will be adhered to.

XA Number: XA 19/07

Member State: Czech Republic

Region: Vysočina

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Podpora poskytování technické podpory v odvětví zemědělství

Legal basis:

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: Annual expenditure of a maximum of CZK 400 000

Maximum aid intensity: Amount of aid: up to 100 % of eligible costs.

Eligible costs which may qualify for a financial contribution range from CZK 5 000 to CZK 250 000 per individual project.

The maximum amount of a financial contribution per beneficiary/project holder is CZK 1 750 000 for the period 2007-2013.

Date of implementation: From 1 March 2007

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Until 31 December 2013

Objective of aid: The aid is aimed at enhancing the professional competence of operators engaged in activities connected with the primary production of agricultural products mentioned in Annex I to the EC Treaty, with a view to increasing labour efficiency and productivity.

The following are regarded as eligible costs: expenditure on organising competitions and exhibitions focusing on the primary production of agricultural products mentioned in Annex I to the EC Treaty, including assistance with costs relating to the participation of exhibitors at such events; expenditure on organising training events focusing on the primary production of agricultural products mentioned in Annex I to the EC Treaty in the form of courses, seminars or workshops; expenditure on technological and economic consultancy for agricultural entrepreneurs.

Sectors(s) concerned: Activities relating to the primary production of agricultural products

Name and address of the granting authority:

Web address: http://www.kr-vysocina.cz/

Other information: Vysočina Region declares that the conditions laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 will be met, i.e. the aid will be targeted at small and medium-sized enterprises engaged in primary agricultural production, and that the financial limit set in that Regulation will be adhered to.

XA number: XA 20/07

Member State: Italy

Region: Veneto

Title of aid scheme: Assistance for the purchase or leasing of new machine tools or manufacturing equipment

Legal basis: Legge 28.11.1965, n. 1329

Deliberazione della Giunta Regionale n. 4347 del 28.12.2006

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall annual amount granted to the company: EUR 4 million

Maximum aid intensity: Interest-rate subsidy for the purchase of new machine tools or manufacturing equipment, excluding replacement investments.

The subsidy may not exceed 50 % of eligible expenditure in less-favoured areas or 40 % in other areas.

Date of implementation: On notification by the Commission of the identification number it has allocated on receipt of the summary information.

Duration of the scheme or the individual aid: To 31 December 2013

Objective of the aid: To help SMEs purchase or lease new machine tools or manufacturing equipment. Installation, testing, transport and packaging costs are eligible up to a total of 15 % of the cost of the equipment.

Eligible investments must seek to achieve at least one of the following objectives:

lower production costs;

improvement or conversion of production;

quality improvements;

protecting and improving the environment, hygiene conditions or animal welfare.

Up to 100 % of the investment programme may be financed for a period of up to 7 years, including a grace period of no more than 2 years.

Under no circumstances may the subsidy at the level of individual applications exceed the maximum aid intensities granted under the relevant EU rules.

Sector or sectors concerned: The scheme applies to small and medium-sized enterprises active in the production of agricultural products listed in Annex I to the EC Treaty.

Name and address of the granting authority:

Internet address: http://www.regione.veneto.it/Economia/Attività+Produttive/Industria

Other information: —

XA Number: XA 26/07

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: Cheshire

Title of Aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Sandstone Ridge ECOnet Partnership Conservation Programme

Legal basis: s. 39 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: Grant aid (2007-8): GBP 327 646

Technical support (2007-8): GBP 3 080

Grant aid (2008-9): GBP 200 000

Technical support (2008-9): GBP 3 080

Maximum aid intensity: The aid intensity is discretionary and is dependant upon the scale and scope of each project. Aid rates may be up to 100 % in the case of non-productive heritage features (Article 5)

Date of implementation: The scheme will start on 1 April 2007

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: The scheme will begin on 1 April 2007 It will close on the 31 March 2009. The last payment will be made on 3 March 2009

Objective of aid: Grant aid to SMEs to conserve traditional landscapes and features in the Sandstone Ridge area of Cheshire.

Sector(s) concerned: Conservation of traditional landscapes on agricultural and rural land holdings

Name and address of the granting authority:

The statutory body responsible for the scheme is: Cheshire County Council

The organisation operating the scheme is: Cheshire County Council

Web-Address: http://www.cheshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/0E5405F6-FCD7-46C1-9C4D-3B950BFF695F/0/SREPStateAidExemptionGuidanceNotice070307.doc

Alternatively details can be found on the Defra website.

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

Other information: Further and more detailed information relating to eligibility and rules for the scheme can be found in the web links above

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

Neil Marr

Agricultural State Aid

Defra

8B 9 Millbank

c/o 17 Smith Square

London SW1P 3JR

United Kingdom

XA Number: XA 32/07

Member State: Spain

Region: Comunidad Valenciana

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Régimen de ayudas al traslado de granjas por motivos de interés público

Legal basis: Orden, de la Consellería de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, por la que se establecen ayudas al traslado de granjas por motivos de interés público.

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: The total budget appropriation for the financial years indicated is as follows:

2007: EUR 300 000

2008: EUR 2 695 000

2009: EUR 2 310 000

2010: EUR 1 925 000

Maximum aid intensity: 80 % of the investment, where the relocation consists in the dismantling, removal and re-erection of existing facilities at the new site.

Where the relocation results in the farmer benefiting from modernisation of facilities or in an increase in production capacity, in addition to the 80 % specified above, 30 % or 40 % of the proposed new investment, depending on whether or not the new holding is located in a less-favoured area.

These percentages will be increased by 5 percentage points where the investments are made by young farmers.

Date of implementation: From 1 March 2007

Duration of aid scheme or individual aid award: Until 31 December 2010

Objective of aid: Article 6. Relocation of farm buildings in the public interest. The aim is to move livestock holdings from sites without planning approval to authorised sites.

Sector(s) concerned: Production sector. Livestock subsectors generally.

Name and address of the granting authority:

Web address: https://docv.gva.es/

Other information: —

Director-General for Agricultural Research, Development and Innovation

Eduardo Primo Millo