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

(2008/C 43/03)

Aid No: XA 228/07

Member State: France

Regions: All regions, as these activities may be financed by any local or regional authority wishing to do so (regional councils, general councils)

Title of aid scheme: Aides à la promotion des produits animaux et des produits d'origine animale

Legal basis:

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme: EUR 4 million, subject to budgetary resources, from the National Inter-trade Office for Livestock and Livestock Products (Office national interprofessionnel de l'élevage et de ses productions) and an unspecified amount from the local and regional authorities

Maximum aid intensity: The aid intensity could reach 100 % in the case of the activities specified in Article 15(2)(c) to (f), referred to above. Under no circumstances will the aid intensity exceed 100 % of the subsidised activities

Date of implementation:

Duration of scheme: Six years (2008-2013)

Objective of the aid: The objective of the aid is to support information and promotional campaigns for the products in question, to raise awareness of these products, to make scientific knowledge accessible to the general public, to facilitate information campaigns on high-quality production systems, to facilitate the organisation of trade fairs, exhibitions and forums, to encourage professionals to attend these fairs, and to develop public relations and related activities.

Support will be provided for activities falling within the scope of Article 15(2) of the agricultural exemption Regulation (Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006), which are also referred to in chapter IV K of the agricultural guidelines of 27 December 2006 and in point 152(b) of the agricultural guidelines

Sectors(s) concerned: SMEs in the livestock and animal products sector

Name and address of the granting authority:

Website address: www.office-elevage.fr/aides-nat/aides-nat.htm

Detailed information on the aid scheme will be published on this website, under the heading ‘Information/Aides nationales’, as soon as the scheme is implemented (January 2008)

Other information: The local and regional authorities will ensure compliance with the aid limits stipulated in Article 15 of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006, which is the framework for this aid scheme. Regional or local authorities supplementing the funding provided by the Office for Livestock must therefore verify the cumulation of aid with aid from the departmental directorates for agriculture and forestry

Aid No: XA 229/07

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales)

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Dairy Farmer Milk Market Development Scheme

Legal basis: Milk Development Council Order 1995

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: 15 September 2007-31 March 2008: GBP 300 000

Maximum aid intensity: The aid intensity is 50 %

Date of implementation: The scheme will start on 15 September 2007

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: The scheme will begin on 15 September 2007. It will close on 31 March 2008. The last payments will be made on 30 September 2008. All invoices for services will be received no later than 31 December 2008

Objective of aid: This aid is in line with Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 and the eligible costs will be:

The aid also falls in line with Article 15 of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 and the eligible costs are:

Sector(s) concerned: The scheme applies to businesses involved in the production of milk

Name and address of the granting authority: The statutory body responsible for the scheme is:

Milk Development Council

Trent Lodge

Stroud Road

Cirencester GL7 6JN

United Kingdom

The organisation operating the scheme is:

Milk Development Council

Trent Lodge

Stroud Road

Cirencester GL7 6JN

United Kingdom

Website address: http://www.mdc.org.uk/default.aspx?DN=0963897f-fa62-4704-b085-607718ee51eb

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

http://defraweb/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. There will be no direct payments of money to producers this complies with Article 15 of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006

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

Mr Neil Marr

Agricultural State Aid

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Room 816, Area 8D

9 Millbank

C/o Nobel House

17 Smith Square

Westminster SW1P 3JR

United Kingdom

Aid No: XA 230/07

Member State: Federal Republic of Germany

Region: Land Brandenburg

Title of aid scheme: Hilfsprogramm für landwirtschaftliche und gartenbauliche Unternehmen, die durch die Wetterunbilden im Frühjahr und im Sommer 2007 in ihrer Existenz gefährdet sind

Legal basis: Article 11 of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006

Richtlinie des Ministeriums für Ländliche Entwicklung, Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz des Landes Brandenburg zum Ausgleich von Verlusten infolge von Wetterunbilden — Hilfsprogramm für landwirtschaftliche und gartenbauliche Unternehmen, die durch die Wetterunbilden im Frühjahr und im Sommer 2007 in ihrer Existenz gefährdet sind vom 30.8.2007.

http://www.mluv.brandenburg.de/cms/media.php/2317/rl_unwett.pdf

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme: EUR 5 million in 2007

Maximum aid intensity: 30 %

Date of implementation: 1.11.2007-31.12.2007

Duration of scheme: 17.9.2007-31.12.2007

Objective of aid: The Land government awards grants to agricultural and horticultural enterprises whose survival is under threat, in order to compensate them for the effects of the adverse climatic events of spring and summer 2007. In the case of horticultural enterprises, these are restricted to the growing areas of Wesendahl/Werneuchen, Havelland and the Elbe-Elster district.

Exceptionally heavy rainfall in the months of May, June and July 2007 meant that the capacity of receiving waters in almost all areas of the Land was exceeded. In these three months, rainfall levels as high as 366,1 mm, 393,4 mm and 451,8 mm were recorded. These exceptional levels were more than twice as high as the long-term averages for the 1961-1990 period (e.g. 208 % in the case of the Menz weather station). This means that the three month period from May to July in the years 1961-1990 accounted for less than a third of annual precipitation (31,8 % in the case of the Menz station), while 66,1 % of annual precipitation fell during these three months in 2007. The water table in low-lying areas of Brandenburg rose by over a metre as a result of the rainfall. Sustained waterlogging, clogged soil and floods meant that cultivated land became inaccessible. As a result, grain crops, field forage crops and grassland had to remain unharvested. Total crop failures were registered for late crops like maize and potatoes.

Farmers in the affected areas were unable to begin autumn sowing.

In the horticultural sector, the combination of a mild winter, very high spring temperatures, a dry April and late frosts led to considerable reductions in fruit yield and, in some cases, to total crop failures. Due to the tendency towards earlier springs, which has resulted in fruit trees blossoming 2 to 3 weeks earlier, late frosts had a greater negative effect than usual on yields.

The government of Brandenburg has classified the adverse climatic events described above as a natural disaster.

In accordance with the attached guidelines, grants can be awarded to agricultural and horticultural enterprises in order to ensure that their survival is not threatened by these events. There is no automatic entitlement to a grant. Rather, awards will be decided upon within the due discretion of the granting authority and in accordance with the available budget. Grants are not intended to provide complete compensation for losses, but to offer liquidity support to enterprises affected by the adverse climatic events of spring and summer 2007, in order to ensure their survival

Sector(s) concerned:

Name and address of the granting authority:

Website address: www.ilb.de

E-mail: postbox@ilb.de

Other information: —

Aid No: XA 231/07

Member State: Federal Republic of Germany

Region: Freistaat Bayern

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual award: Richtlinie für die Durchführung der nebenberuflichen sozialen Betriebshilfe in der Land- und Forstwirtschaft durch das Kuratorium Bayerischer Maschinen- und Betriebshilfsringe e.V. (KBM) und die Maschinen- und Betriebshilfsringe (MR)

Legal basis: Bayerisches Agrarwirtschaftsgesetz (BayAgrarWiG) vom 8. Dezember 2006

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: EUR 1,2 million granted to the machinery and labour rings and the umbrella organisation KBM for relief services, in accordance with Article 15(2)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006

Maximum aid intensity: Up to 50 %

Date of implementation: Annual implementation following exemptions

Duration of scheme or individual aid award:

Objective of the aid: To ensure the provision, throughout the region, of part-time relief workers by machinery and labour rings providing social assistance in the agriculture and forestry sectors. The aid serves to substantially ease severe hardship in social emergencies

Aid legislation basis: Article 15(2)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006

Economic sectors: Agriculture and forestry — subsidised service provision

Aid legislation basis for forestry: No 179 of the framework scheme (OJ C 319, 27.12.2006, p. 1)

Name and address of the granting authority:

Any enquiries should be made to:

Website address: http://www.servicestelle.bayern.de/bayern_recht/recht_db.html?http://by.juris.de/by/AgrarWiG_BY_rahmen.htm

http://www.stmlf.bayern.de/agrarpolitik/programme/26373/rilikbmsozbh.pdf

Other information: —

Aid No: XA 233/07

Member State: Republic of Slovenia

Region: Municipality of Škofja Loka

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving individual aid: Programi razvoja kmetijstva, gozdarstva in podeželja v občini Škofja loka 2007–2013

Legal basis: Pravilnik o dodeljevanju pomoči za ohranjanje in razvoj kmetijstva, gozdarstva in podeželja v občini Škofja Loka za programsko obdobje 2007–2013 (Poglavje II.)

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

Maximum aid intensity:

1.   Investment in agricultural holdings for primary production:

The purpose of the aid is investment to restore farm features and to purchase equipment to be used for agricultural production, to invest in permanent crops, to improve farmland and to manage pastures.

2.   Aid for conserving traditional buildings:

3.   Aid for land reparcelling:

4.   Aid to encourage the production of quality agricultural products:

5.   Aid for providing technical support in the agricultural sector:

Date of implementation: 2007 (or the date on which the Rules enter into force)

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Until 31.12.2013

Objective of aid: To support SMEs

Reference to Articles in Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 and eligible costs: Chapter II of the draft Rules on granting State aid for conservation and development of agriculture, forestry and rural areas in the municipality of Škofja Loka for the period 2007-2013 includes measures constituting State aid in accordance with the following Articles of 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 (OJ L 358, 16.12.2006, p. 3):

Article 4: Investment in agricultural holdings,

Article 5: Conservation of traditional landscapes and buildings,

Article 13: Aid for land reparcelling,

Article 14: Aid to encourage the production of quality agricultural products,

Article 15: Provision of technical support in the agricultural sector

Economic sector(s) concerned: Agriculture — plant and animal production

Name and address of granting authority:

Website address: http://www.uradni-list.si/1/ulonline.jsp?urlid=200773&dhid=91276

Other information: The measure for the payment of insurance premiums to insure crops and fruit includes the following adverse climatic events which can be assimilated to natural disasters: spring frost, hail, lightning, fire caused by lightning, storm and floods.

The municipality's Rules meet the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 relating to the measures to be adopted by the municipality and the general provisions applicable (steps preceding grant of aid, cumulation, transparency and monitoring of aid)

Signature of person responsible:

Igor Draksler

Mayor