The Cyprus Rural Payments Agency has proceeded with the announcement of the Single Application for Extensive Payments the submission period of which is from 22 March to 18 April and from 19 April to 13 May 2022 the submission of late applications with penalty.
The Single Application includes the following Measures/Plans/Institutions: Greening) [*]Young Farmers' Aid Scheme [*]Extensive Citrus Subsidy in Communities Affected by the Dead Zone. [/LIST]
MEASURES/COMPOSITIONS OF AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (2014-2020)
- MEASURE 10 - Agri-environmental and Climate Measures (RDP 2014-2020). 12 regimes are included.
- MEASURE 11 - Organic Farming (2 sub-measures included)
- MEASURE 12 - Support under NATURA 2000 and the Water Framework Directive (RDP 2014-2020).
- MEASURE 13 - Aid in areas characterised by natural or other specific advantages.
During the current year, it is possible for new applicants or applicants whose commitments have expired on 31/12/2021 to be included in all Measure 10 Schemes (except 10.1.2 A, 10.1.2B1, 10.1.2B2 and 10.1.5) of the Rural Development Programme RDP 2014-2020 (except 10.1.2 A, 10.1.2B1, 10.1.2B2 and 10.1.5), which are launched on an annual basis for the current year.
In addition, it is noted that for the commitments of Programmes 10.1.2A and 10.1.2B starting in 2015 or 2016 and ending on 31 December 2021, the Managing Authority of the Rural Development Programme has granted the right of voluntary extension of the commitment for one more year (until 31/12/2022). Measures 12 and 13 are announced on an annual basis.
Through the Single Application for Extensive Grants, an amount of approximately €44 million (European funding) is expected to be paid to approximately 31,000 beneficiaries. An additional €6 million will be granted to approximately 27,000 beneficiaries through Measure 13 of the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 and will support areas with natural or other handicaps.
The Agency's plan is that the payment of the extensification grants will be carried out during the month of December.
Head Grants
Through the Head Grants, 3.5 million euros (Direct Payments - European funding) are expected to be paid in 2022 to sheep and goat farmers who meet the criteria of the Voluntary Coupled Support for Sheep and Goats (milk orientation).
The application period is until 29 April 2022. The Agency's objective is that the payment of the subsidies is expected to take place within December.
An additional amount of €5 million will be paid as Transitional National Aid to the sheep and goat sector (state funding) following a decision of the Council of Ministers, as compensation for the difficulties faced by the livestock sector in Cyprus due to the excessively high price of feed and the significant increase in energy costs.
According to the same decision of the Council of Ministers, The aid totalling €5.7 million will be paid as state aid to the pig farming sector €2.7 million, to the poultry sector €1.3 million, to the cow farming sector €1.7 million and €25,000 to the cattle farming sector. The payment process is in progress in cooperation with the Veterinary Services and the Department of Agriculture.
In the course of May, the call for proposals for Scheme 10.1.9 "Agri-environmental obligations for conservation and sustainable use in traditional livestock breeds" is planned. The purpose of the scheme is to provide financial support to cover part of the income foregone as well as the additional costs of rearing and breeding animals to encourage the rearing of the local breed of cattle, the local breed of sheep and the local breed of goat Mahera. The scheme is advertised on an annual basis.
In addition, in May the Fth call for Measure 14 - Good Sheep and Goat Welfare with a budget of €300,000 and an annual duration is planned for this call.
With the receipt of the Single Application for Extensive Payments 2022, the Cyprus Agricultural Payments Agency (CAP) implemented a Monitoring Control System for the Single Area Payment Scheme (SAPS). The Monitoring Monitoring System and its controls is an automated and continuous process that uses Copernicus Sentinel satellite data, along with other data sources, to determine agricultural activity on all declared parcels under the 2022 CAFS. Since all blocks of the Single Application participate in the CACS therefore all application blocks will also be checked through the Monitoring System. The introduction of Monitoring for the CACS in 2022 is the first step towards the implementation of the Area Monitoring System, which will be mandatory in the Common Agricultural Policy from 2023. The Monitoring System allows the notification to the applicants of the Single Application, alerts on the detection of possible non-compliance. This notification concerns the obligations in relation to the crop or agricultural activity within the parcels. In the event that potential non-compliance is identified, the applicant shall receive a notification by personal message (SMS) to the mobile phone number registered in his/her application.
Details of the findings of the checks are posted in the form of a report in the Electronic Application System (EAS) of the CAP at https:/eas.capo.gov.cy/. This allows our applicants to either proceed through a special application to take photos within their parcels as proof of cultivation or agricultural activity, or amend their applications by changing the crop or area or even withdrawing the parcel from the application.
In essence, the Monitoring System provides the applicant with the possibility to know if there is a problem in the eligibility of his plot to receive the subsidy he is requesting, and at the same time to be able to correct any errors, or to act as a checker of his own application to prove the correctness of his application, since he has the possibility to simply and easily submit photographs to the CMOAP to confirm his applications. It is also possible to modify his application accordingly without penalty until 20 October 2022.
Through the Copernicus Sentinel satellites, the CAA will receive images from all over Cyprus every 10 days and using specialised algorithms and indicators, will check for the existence of crops or agricultural activity in the requested parcels. Our applicants should ensure that they check the data in the CAP's online application system (EAS) when submitting the application, so that the content of the data also reflects the actual status of their parcels in relation to the situation in the field. In this way, the CFCA will proceed to the immediate and correct evaluation of their parcels and the identification and correction of possible errors that may occur
Regarding the Rural Development Investment Measures, the Cyprus Rural Payments Agency, in cooperation with the Managing Authority of the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, proceeded in February with the Third Notice of the Third Notice of Regime 4.1 and the Second Call for Applications of the Regime 6.1, with the receipt of applications taking place from 7 February to 20 May 2022, online through the website of the CFCA. At the same time, payments for the previous notices of the Schemes continue to be made depending on the progress in the implementation of investments by the applicants.
Scheme 6.1: "Support for the First Establishment of Young Farmers" provides financial support to young people from 18 to 40 years old who want to engage in the agri-food sector. In particular, it encourages them by facilitating their first establishment with a lump sum to enable them to establish themselves as heads/managers of agricultural holdings and implement their business plans for the development of their agricultural activities. Applicants may be natural or legal persons who have or will acquire sufficient professional qualifications and skills within 36 months of the approval of their application. In the case of a legal entity, the farmer aged 18 to 40 years must be the main shareholder of the legal entity with a share of 95 % or more. The aid shall be granted in the form of a flat-rate amount to support the first establishment of young farmers, upon submission and approval of the application for participation in the scheme. The amount of aid ranges from €20.000 to €50.000 depending on the participation of the interested parties in the third call of the Scheme 4.1. The amount is granted in two instalments depending on the implementation of their Business Plan.
Scheme 4.1: "Investments that improve the overall performance and sustainability of agricultural and livestock holdings", is part of Measure 4: "Investments in physical assets", which is one of the most important measures of the Cyprus Rural Development Programme 2014-2020. This scheme is addressed to owners or managers of agricultural and livestock holdings who undertake investments for the modernization of their holdings in order to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of their units.
It should also be noted that on 4 March 2022, Measure 7: "Basic services and village regeneration in rural areas" was also announced, which will remain open until 20 May 2022.
It should also be noted that on 4 March 2022, Measure 7: "Basic services and village regeneration in rural areas" was also announced, which will remain open until 20 May 2022. The contractor for this Measure is the European Funds Unit of the Ministry of Interior and the beneficiaries are mainly Local Authorities.
In addition, regarding the Common Market Organisations (CMOs), the Cyprus Rural Payments Agency, in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture, proceeded in April with the announcement of the following Measures:
[*]CMO12: "Private Storage of Pig Meat." Interested parties may submit their applications to the Central Offices of the CMO from 5 April to 29 April 2022. Each application is for a minimum quantity of at least 10 tonnes of boneless products and 15 tonnes of other products. [*]METRO OPSA 1c: "Green harvesting in wine-growing vineyards 2021 - 2022." Interested parties can submit their applications from 15 April to 10 May 2022, through the Governmental Internet Security Portal "ARIADNI" on the website https:/eservices.cyprus.gov.cy.
In conclusion, it should be mentioned that, in 2022, it is expected that the following Rural Development and CMO measures/schemes will be announced:
[*]Scheme 1.3: "Short-term exchanges for farm and forest management and visits to farms and forests" which will be announced when and if the pandemic conditions allow. [*]Measure 9: "Setting up producer groups and organisations in the agricultural sector" which will be launched depending on when new producer groups are approved by the Competent Authority. [*]Scheme 19.2.4: "Cooperation for Circular Economy by Local Action Groups" which is expected to be launched in the second semester of 2022. [*]Scheme 4.3.3: "Circular Economy" which is a new measure included in the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 and is also expected to be launched in the second semester of 2022. [*]EPA Measure 1b: "Restructuring and Conversion of Vineyards 2022 - 2023" which is expected to be launched in November to December 2022.
(MG/EXP)
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