OPEKEPE: Changes in the granting of direct aid
Changes to the procedures for granting direct payments, based on the IACS, for the applications of 2023 regarding the definition of the active farmer and the distribution of national stock to new entrants, provides for an amending circular of OPEKEPE.
According to the second amendment of the OPEKEPE circular, it is provided that direct aid is granted only to active farmers.
“Active farmers” according to the OPEKEPE circular
An active farmer is any natural or legal person engaged in agricultural activity and who meets at least one of the following conditions:
a. Farmers who received direct payments of up to 5,000 euros for the financial year of applications 2022.
b. Farmers, who received for the application financial year 2022 direct subsidies of more than 5,000 euros and prove that the annual amount of direct subsidies is at least 5% of the total income, obtained from non-agricultural activities during the fiscal year 2022.
c. Farmers, who prove that the income they obtained from agricultural activities in the tax year 2022 is at least 10% against the total income they obtained in the same tax year, regardless of whether or not they received direct support in the previous tax year (2022).
Those who receive aid of more than €5,000 and run companies that do not have agriculture as their main objective are not considered “active farmers” (airports, camping sites, hotels, stadiums, real estate companies, educational institutions). Nevertheless, farmers who run the above types of businesses are considered as “active farmers”, as long as their agricultural activities make up at least 1/3 of the company’s turnover.
The check is based on the data kept at the Independent Public Revenue Authority (AADE).
National Reserve
Changes to the “national stock” concern the newly entrant farmer:
- In the event that the NP has a financial manager/wife who meets the criterion of the newly entrant farmer and received in 2015 or 2017 or 2018 or 2019 or 2020 or 2021 or 2022 DBE from the EA or PMO as FP (on his/her behalf) or as financial administrator of another NP, then the said NP is not considered a beneficiary.
- In the event that the Natural Person who was a financial administrator in a NP and the NP received a DBE or PMO from the EA in 2015 or 2017 or 2018 or 2019, or 2020, or 2021 or 2022 the FP is not considered a beneficiary.
According to the OPEKEPE circular, young age or newly entrant farmers are not considered beneficiaries of the 2023 national reserve, who have received basic support entitlements or an increase in the unit value of their entitlements to the regional average of the national reserve as an FP or as a NP or on behalf of a NP (as trustees) from the national reserve in the years 2015 or 2017 or 2018 or 2019 or 2020 or 2021 or 2022.