“Establishment of Young Farmers”: Pre-publication of the Call to Action with a total funding of 590 million euros

The final text of the pre-publication of the 1st call for the submission of support applications for inclusion in intervention P3-75.1 for the new farmers (“Young Farmers Establishment Age” of the Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy (SS KAP) of Greece 2023-2027″), was signed and posted on the website of YpAAT.

According to the pre-publication of the call, the objective of the intervention is to attract and retain in the field of young farming age, facilitate sustainable business development in rural areas as well as promote employment, growth, gender equality, including participation of women in agriculture.

In this context, the provision of flat-rate financial support is provided for young people who, in the year of submission of the support application, have not exceeded 40 years of age for entering and remaining in agricultural employment and their first establishment, as leaders, in agricultural holdings.

The candidates submit a standard business plan for the development of their agricultural holding which includes the implementation stages of the relevant actions. The implementation period of the business plan cannot be less than three years and more than four.

The reference year of the support application is defined as 2024. Therefore, the support application is drawn up on the basis of the accepted Single Support Application (SSR) of the year 2024.

The total amount foreseen for the financing of the intervention P3-75.1 “Establishment of Young Farmers” for the period 2023/27, including the obligations undertaken by the RDP 2014-2022, amounts to 590 million euros.

Intervention P3-75.1 is co-financed by the European Union (European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development “EGTAA”) and by the Greek State.

The amounts of aid in the Action “Installation of Young Farmers”

The amount of support provided in the form of non-refundable aid capital (flat rate), is not linked to specific costs but to the achievement of specific quantitative goals.

However it is possible to grade the implementation of investments. The support amount is structured as follows:

A basic support amount of 30,000 euros is provided, on which the following supplements are calculated:

• a) 2,500 euros, if the area of permanent residence of the farm heads is located in mountainous or disadvantaged areas or on small islands (islands with a population of up to 3,100 inhabitants) and in regional units with a population density of less than or equal to 35 inhabitants per square kilometer based on the 2021 population census) or a combination of these categories of areas
• b) 10,000 euros, as long as the main direction of the agricultural holding at the completion of the business plan is poultry farming. Therefore, the amount of support can range from 30,000 to 42,500 euros

The financial support is paid in two installments. The first installment is paid when the candidate joins the measure and corresponds to 70% of the total support. The remaining 30% is paid after the certification of the completion of the investment project.

The conditions

The most important conditions that candidates must meet are the following:

• To be adults and not to have exceeded 40 years of age at the end of the year of issuing the call for expression of interest.
  To be legal owners of an economically independent agricultural and livestock holding (own livestock)
• To submit an acceptable IASC declaration in the year 2024 with a standard return exceeding €12,000 on the mainland, Crete and Evia, €10,000 on islands with a population greater than 3,100 and €8,000 on islands with a population less than or equal to 3,100 or to have declared at least 103 hives in mainland Chora, Crete and Evia, 74 in the islands of Chora with less than 3,100 inhabitants and 92 in the remaining islands of Chora
• When submitting the application for support, be classified by the Register of Farmers and Agricultural Holdings as new entrants to the agricultural sector.
• During the last years 2019 to 2022, have not submitted an IASC declaration with an average standard return exceeding 12,000 euros on the mainland, Crete and Evia and 10,000 euros on the islands other than Crete and Evia or 16,000 euros in any of these years.
• To submit a timely application for support and a standard business plan for the development of their agricultural holding within the deadlines set in the call for expressions of interest.

Main commitments

The main commitments undertaken by the beneficiaries in the Action “Establishment of Young Farmers” are the following:

• To obtain the status of professional farmer within two years from the date of their designation as new entrants in the agricultural sector and to maintain it for four years after the year of completion of their business plan
• Achieve the quantitative target of increasing the standard yield of the farm by at least 20% compared to the standard yield of the initial state
• Subject within 24 months from the date of issuance of the inclusion decision to the normal VAT regime and remain in it for at least four years after the year of completion of their business plan
• From 2024 up to four years after the year of completion of their business plan to submit a declaration to the IACS every year
• To attend a (free) training course of at least 250 hours

More detailed information in the pre-publication of the intervention, at the e-mail addressesminagric.gr andwww.agrotikianaptixi.gr

See in detail the pre-publication of the Invitation here.