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

2011/C 79/06

Aid No: XA 157/10

Member State: France

Region: Département de la Moselle

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Aides aux investissements collectifs en CUMA (coopératives d'utilisation de matériel agricole)

Legal basis: Articles L 1511-2 et L 1511-5 du code général des collectivités territoriales.

Projet de délibération du Conseil général de la Moselle.

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: Maximum of EUR 400 000, according to need and depending on the budgetary means available

Maximum aid intensity:

The amount of aid should not exceed the maximum aid intensity allowed.

Date of implementation: From the date of publication of the registration number for the request for exemption on the website of the Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development and subject to the corresponding funds being available

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Three years from the date of acknowledgement of receipt by the Commission (subject to the corresponding funds being available)

Objective of aid: The objective of this aid scheme is environmental protection, within the meaning of Article 4(3)(d) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 of 15 December 2006.

List of eligible agricultural equipment for environmental purposes:

grass cultivation equipment: micro-granulated anti-slug seeders + fine combed harrows, centrifugal or cereal seeders + rollers, specialised seeders for replanting or renovating,

equipment for adding organic material: compost spreaders, organic matter spreaders, manure spreaders, plant shredders and slurry vats with spreaders, manure spreading tables, tine and disc incorporators, rotary and pendulum muck spreaders, windrow turners for composting manure,

grass working equipment: mowers, windrowers, haymakers, bale-wrappers, presses, windrow turners,

feed making equipment: crushers, portable grinders and mixers (not self-propelled),

portable containment and weighing equipment.

Purchase of new agricultural equipment constitutes eligible expenditure. However, purchases simply to replace equipment and of vehicles such as tractors and sprayers are not eligible.

Furthermore, aid will be paid exclusively to:

farms whose size does not exceed that of an SME as defined in Community law (cf. Annex I to Commission Regulation (EC) No 800/2008 of 6 August 2008, OJ L 214, 9.8.2008),

farms that are enterprises active in the primary production of agricultural products,

and agricultural holdings that are not enterprises in difficulty within the meaning of the Community guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulty (OJ C 244, 1.10.2004).

Sector(s) concerned: All the CUMA operating in the Moselle department irrespective of what their members produce

Name and address of the granting authority:

Website: http://www.cg57.fr/SiteCollectionDocuments/LaMoselleEtVous/Agriculture/FichesUE/Reduction_des_couts_de_mecanisation_CUMA.pdf

Other information: To ensure strict compliance with the limits laid down in Community regulations for each type of aid, the level of aid will, where necessary, be reduced to the amount contributed by other public financial backers.

Aid will be restricted to CUMA (cooperatives for the use of agricultural equipment) that have not benefited from similar aid in the previous five years, with the exception of those that have paid off the balance of previous cases.

Aid No: XA 158/10

Member State: France

Region: Département de la Moselle

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Aide au remplacement (assistance technique).

Legal basis: Articles L 1511-2 et L 1511-5 du code général des collectivités territoriales.

Projet de délibération du Conseil général de la Moselle.

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: Maximum of EUR 40 000, according to need and depending on the budgetary means available

Maximum aid intensity: Flat rate of 12 % of a maximum cost of EUR 145 per day, for a maximum of 14 days, and EUR 910 per beneficiary per year

Date of implementation: From the date of publication of the registration number for the request for exemption on the website of the Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development and subject to the corresponding funds being available

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Three years from the date of acknowledgement of receipt by the Commission (subject to the corresponding funds being available)

Objective of aid: The aim of this scheme will be to contribute to the costs (except replacement costs benefiting from tax credits) associated with replacing farmers on holdings due to ill health, accident, paternity or maternity leave.

In accordance with Article 15(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006, the aid shall be granted in kind by means of subsidised services and must not involve direct payments of money to farmers. All the conditions laid down in Article 15 of this Regulation will be met.

Furthermore, aid will be paid exclusively to:

farms whose size does not exceed that of an SME as defined in Community law (cf. Annex I to Commission Regulation (EC) No 800/2008 of 6 August 2008, OJ L 214, 9.8.2008),

farms that are enterprises active in the primary production of agricultural products,

and agricultural holdings that are not enterprises in difficulty within the meaning of the Community guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulty (OJ C 244, 1.10.2004).

Sector(s) concerned: All farms operating on the territory of the Moselle department (farmers or groups of farmers)

Name and address of the granting authority:

Website: http://www.cg57.fr/SiteCollectionDocuments/LaMoselleEtVous/Agriculture/FichesUE/aide_au_remplacement_AT.pdf

Other information: The level of aid may, where necessary, be reduced to the amount contributed by other public financial backers.

Aid No: XA 159/10

Member State: France

Region: Département de la Moselle

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Programme de génomique, bio-informatique et audit de reproduction.

Legal basis: Articles L 1511-2 et L 1511-5 du code général des collectivités territoriales.

Projet de délibération du Conseil général de la Moselle.

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: Maximum expenditure of EUR 125 000 per year, according to need and depending on the budgetary funds available

Maximum aid intensity: Genotype:

40 % of costs, with a ceiling of EUR 30 for taking blood samples,

40 % of costs, with a ceiling of EUR 71 for analysing and interpreting the results.

Reproduction audit and monitoring:

audit: 80 % of costs (100 % for young farmers), with EUR 270 per day for 80 days for a technical expert from ‘Eleveurs Mosellans’ (Moselle Stockbreeders),

monitoring equipment: 40 % of costs, with an eligible investment ceiling of EUR 5 000 per farm.

Aid amounts must not exceed the ceilings for public aid, namely 40 % for investment and 80 % (100 % for young farmers) for audit costs in the form of subsidised services, and these ceilings can be reduced depending on the amount contributed by other public financial backers.

Date of implementation: From the date of publication of the identification number of the request for exemption on the website of the Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Three years from the date of acknowledgement of receipt by the Commission, subject to the corresponding funds being available

Objective of aid: This aid scheme falls under Articles 4, 15 and 16 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 of 15 December 2006.

Genomic and bioinformatic programme

Herd health status and animal welfare are key factors for herd management and sustainability. However, cattle breeders should reap the benefits of progress in genomics. The new tools for evaluating each animal's performance should allow farmers to develop a high quality herd and aim at achieving autonomy with regard to the purpose for which the animals are being farmed.

Reproduction audit

The reproduction audit should enable a reference network of volunteer stock breeders to be set up, using innovative methods for controlling the animals’ periods of fertility and monitoring pregnancies. With regard to animal health, the network's aim is to be guided by the saying ‘prevention is better than cure’, thus limiting the use of pharmaceutical products and reducing farm costs.

Tools and procedures in line with results have been designed to conduct experiments, collate the results and extrapolate conclusions on the basis of this data.

Aid will be restricted to farmers who have not benefited from similar aid in the previous five years and in respect of whom any previous agricultural aid cases have been cleared with the Conseil général de la Moselle (Moselle General Council)

Furthermore, aid will be paid exclusively to:

farms whose size does not exceed that of an SME as defined in Community law (cf. Annex I to Commission Regulation (EC) No 800/2008 of 6 August 2008, OJ L 214, 9.8.2008),

farms that are enterprises active in the primary production of agricultural products,

and agricultural holdings that are not enterprises in difficulty within the meaning of the Community guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulty (OJ C 244, 1.10.2004).

Aid under Articles 15 and 16 of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 will be granted in kind in the form of subsidised services and must not involve any direct payments to producers.

Sector(s) concerned: Farmers or groups of farmers operating as SMEs on the territory of the Moselle department

Name and address of the granting authority:

Website: http://www.cg57.fr/SiteCollectionDocuments/LaMoselleEtVous/Agriculture/FichesUE/programme_procreation_et_audit_reproduction.pdf

Other information: The level of aid may, where necessary, be reduced depending on the amount contributed by other public financial backers.

Aid No: XA 179/10

Member State: Netherlands

Region: Provincie Zuid-Holland (Zuid-Holland)

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Steunregeling: Projectsubsidies onderhoud landschapselementen

Legal basis: De Algemene subsidieverordening Zuid-Holland, art 3. Op basis hiervan is de Subsidieregeling landelijk gebied vastgesteld waarvan de subsidieparagraaf „Projectsubsidies onderhoud landschapselementen”, deel uit maakt. Deze subsidieparagraaf is momenteel ter kennisgeving aangeboden.

De genoemde documenten worden als volgt ontsloten:

Subsidieregeling landelijk gebied via e-loket: http://www.zuid-holland.nl/loket/c_content-alle_subsidieregelingen.htm

Subsidieparagraaf Projectsubsidies onderhoud landschapselementen: http://www.zuid-holland.nl/staten_informatie_systeem/Provinciale_bladen/2010/opendocument.htm?llpos=210681892&llvol=-2000

Zie voorts doelstelling van de steun.

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: For 2011 the subsidy limit for this scheme will be set at EUR 116 108. A new subsidy limit will be determined annually.

Maximum aid intensity: At most 100 % of the eligible costs; in accordance with Article 5(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006, a maximum of EUR 10 000 a year may be granted to the recipient. Under Article 5(2) the aid intensity is 100 % and can in fact be more than EUR 10 000, but the compensation for the costs of the work undertaken by the farmer can be at most EUR 10 000 a year. Aid can therefore be granted both for conservation of traditional landscapes and buildings (100 %) and for work undertaken (up to EUR 10 000 a year).

Date of implementation: 13 October 2010, on the understanding that the scheme comes into operation on the day following that of its publication in the province's official gazette. The scheme enters into force only after publication of the summary information on the European Commission's website.

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: The provision in question is of indefinite duration (see the Annex to the notification). However, the provincial government sets the budget annually. For completeness: the term of an individual subsidy under the provision is six years from the date of the subsidy decision.

The scheme is opened annually for the submission of applications. The next opening is from 16 November 2010 to 15 January 2011.

Objective of aid: To ensure the conservation of existing landscape features characteristic of South Holland:

the eligible activities are indicated in the Nature Management Plan and in Chapter 4 of the Nature and Landscape Index based on it (see following link — the documents are to be found in the document window): http://www.zuid-holland.nl/overzicht_alle_themas/thema_bodem_landelijkgebied/content_natuur/natuurbeheer.htm

the eligible costs are laid down in the Tarievenbesluit (decision on charges), to be found in the Annex to the notification under Documenten: ‘tekst publicatie provinciaal blad openstelling.doc’.

Activities under Article 5(3) of the Regulation are not subsidised.

Sector(s) concerned: Agriculture, applicable to small and medium-sized agricultural holdings active in the primary production of agricultural products

Name and address of the granting authority:

Website: http://www.zuidholand.nl/staten_informatie_systeem/Provinciale_bladen/2010/opendocument.htm?llpos=210681892&llvol=-2000

Other information: —

Aid No: XA 181/10

Member State: Denmark

Region: —

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Vækstkaution.

Legal basis: Lovbekendtgørelse nr. 549 af den 1. juli 2002 (med ændringer), bekendtgørelse nr. 1013 af den 17. august 2007, samt ændringsbekendtgørelse nr. 237 af den 17. marts 2010, samt Finansudvalgets bevilling.

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: Aid in the form of guarantees. The total amount available under the aid scheme is DKK 300 million. The scheme concerns the primary sectors and related industries, and the amount referred to represents the overall costs of the scheme. The guarantees cover up to a maximum of 75 % of the loan amount for each company, up to a ceiling of DKK 10 million. The method used to calculate the grant equivalent of the guarantee scheme was notified to and approved by the Commission under aid N 682/09.

Maximum aid intensity:

Date of implementation: The day following the European Commission's publication of the summary information on the Internet

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

Objective of aid: Article 4

Sector(s) concerned: Agriculture, horticulture, fruit-growing; no particular restrictions apply regarding the nature of production

Name and address of the granting authority:

Website:

Other information: —

(1)  The supplementary aid rates for young farmers, within the meaning of Article 2(11) of the Agricultural Exemption Regulation, is reserved for investments made by young farmers within five years of their establishment.