Support for organic farming with €400 million.

The organic farming will be the next major aid program Ministry of Rural Development & Food, with the relevant calls for proposals expected to be issued in 2021. The program will include four actions, with a total budget of over €400 million, and will be implemented throughout Greece. Applications for support from candidates will be made on the basis of Single Aid Application (SAA) for 2021 (reference year), while 2022 will be the first year of implementation of the commitments for the calls that will be announced.

The actions will concern subsidies for the maintenance of organic practices and production methods in agriculture and livestock farming. With regard to organic farming, Two actions will be announced, covering a total of 23 eligible crops. Similarly, for organic livestock farming, two calls for proposals will also be announced, with the first covering three categories of eligible animals: sheep and goats, cattle for meat production/mixed use, and cattle for milk production), while the second will include bees as eligible animals.

A prerequisite for submitting the support application is that candidates must first submit the Single Aid Application (EAE) for 2021. The following may be considered beneficiaries of the organic farming and livestock farming support program:

a) Natural and legal persons or groups of natural or legal persons who are active farmers.

b) Candidates with agricultural land, apiaries, pastures, or livestock farms that are part of the organic farming system through a contract with a Certification and Control Organization, which was signed no later than December 31, 2020, and is active until the date the calls are issued. Applicants may submit an application for support simultaneously for both calls for the same action and for calls for two different actions.

The minimum size of eligible agricultural parcels/pastures is 0.1 hectares, while cattle over 6 months old and sheep and goats over 12 months old are eligible for aid.pastures is 0.1 hectares, while cattle over 6 months old and sheep and goats over 12 months old, which have been marked in accordance with applicable EU and national legislation, are eligible for aid.

Financial support will be granted on an annual basis and per hectare of agricultural land included in the measures, parcels of land and/or pastures used for the above categories of animals and per hive in order to compensate beneficiaries for lost income, additional costs (laboratory analyses) and transaction costs(certification) incurred in maintaining organic farming practices.