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Interventions in agricultural markets such as fruits and vegetables to enhance environmental safeguards.

To support agricultural activities that encourage the protection or enhancement of the environment or entail additional agri- environment benefits, for improving the quality and marketing of agricultural products, for practising enhanced animal welfare standards, to address specific disadvantages affecting farmers in the dairy, beef, goat and sheep meat and rice sectors in economically vulnerable or environmentally sensitive areas or for vulnerable types of farming, to support risk management measures such as insurance schemes for adverse climatic events and animal or plant diseases or pest infestation and mutual funds for animal or plant diseases or environmental incident.

To promote sustainable development.
Under this Regulation, rural development policy for 2007 to 2013 is focused on three themes (known as "thematic axes"). These are, improving the competitiveness of the agricultural and forestry sector; improving the environment and the countryside; improving the quality of life in rural areas and encouraging diversification of the rural economy.

To support the forestry sector.
· Vocational training and information actions, including diffusion of scientific knowledge and innovative practices, for persons engaged in the agricultural, food and forestry sectors. Support does not include courses of instruction or training which form part of normal programmes or systems of agricultural and forestry education at secondary or higher levels.

· Setting up of young farmers. Support is granted to persons who are less than 40 years of age and are setting up for the first time on an agricultural holding as head of the holding. They must possess adequate occupational skills and competence and submit a business plan for the development of their farming activities. The support shall be granted up to the maximum amount laid down in the Annex.

· Early retirement of farmers and farm workers. Support is granted to farmers who decide to stop their agricultural activity for the purpose of transferring the holdings to other farmers and to farm workers who decide to stop all farm work definitively upon the transfer of the holding. The transferor shall not be less than 55 years old but not yet of normal retirement age at the time of transfer or not more than 10 years younger than the normal retirement age. He or she must stop all commercial farming activity definitively and have practiced farming for the 10 years preceding transfer. The total duration of early retirement support shall not exceed 15 years for the transferor and for the farm worker. It shall not go beyond the 70th birthday of the transferor and the normal retirement age of the farm worker. The support shall be granted up to the maximum amount.

· Use of advisory services by farmers and forest holders. Support is granted to help farmers and forest holders to meet costs arising from the use of advisory services for the improvement of the overall performance of their holding. As a minimum the advisory service to farmers shall cover the statutory management requirements and the good agricultural and environmental conditions provided for in Articles 5 and 6 of and in Annexes II and III to Regulation (EC) 73/2009 and the occupational safety standards based on EU legislation.

· Setting up of farm management, farm relief and farm advisory services, as well as of forestry advisory services. Support for the use of advisory services shall be limited to 80% of the cost or a maximum of 1500 €. Support for setting up of management, relief and advisory services is granted in order to cover costs arising from the setting up of farm management, farm relief and farm advisory services as well as forestry advisory services and shall be digressive over a maximum period of five years from setting up.

· Modernisation of agricultural holdings. Support for modernisation of agricultural holdings is granted for tangible and/or intangible investments which improve the overall performance of the agricultural holding and respect the EU standards applicable to the investment concerned. Where investments are made in order to comply with EU standards, support may be granted only to those which are made in order to comply with newly introduced EU standards. In that case, a period of grace, not exceeding 36 months from the date on which the standard becomes mandatory for the agricultural holding, may be provided to meet that standard. In the case of young farmers receiving setting up support, the modernization support may be granted for investments to comply with existing EU standards, when identified in a business plan. The period of grace within which the standard needs to be met, may not exceed 36 months from the date of setting up. Support is limited to 40-75% depending on the area where the farm is located.

· Adding value to agricultural and forestry products. Support is granted for tangible and/or intangible investments which improve the overall performance of the enterprise and which concern the processing and/or marketing of products covered by Annex I to the Treaty, except fishery products, and of forestry products and/or the development of new products, processes and technologies linked to products covered by Annex I to the Treaty, except fishery products, and to forestry products and which respect the EU standards applicable to the investment concerned. Support is limited to the maximum rate of 40-75% depending on the area where the farm is located.

· Cooperation for development of new products, processes and technologies in the agriculture and food sector and in the forestry sector. Support is granted to promote the cooperation between primary producers in agriculture and forestry, the processing industry and/or third parties. It shall contribute to cover costs incurred for the cooperation.

· Improving and developing infrastructure related to the development and adaptation of agriculture and forestry Support may cover notably operations related to access to farm and forest land, land consolidation and improvement, energy supply and water management.

· Helping farmers to adapt to demanding standards based on EU legislation. Support contributes partly to costs incurred and income foregone caused to farmers who have to apply standards in the fields of the environmental protection, public health, animal and plant health, animal welfare and occupational safety. These standards must be newly introduced in national legislation implementing EU law and impose new obligations or restrictions to farming practice which have a significant impact on typical farm operating costs and concern a significant number of farmers. The support is granted as a flat-rate, temporary and digressive aid on an annual basis, for a maximum duration of five years from the date the standard becomes mandatory in accordance with EU legislation. Support shall be limited to a maximum of 10,000 € per holding

Protect the environment.
Agri- environment payments are granted to farmers who make on a voluntary basis agri- environmental commitments. Where duly justified to achieve environmental objectives, agri- environment payments may be granted to other land managers. Agri- environment payments cover only those commitments going beyond the relevant mandatory standards established pursuant to Articles 5 and 6 of and in Annexes II and III to Regulation (EC) 73/2009 as well as minimum requirements for fertiliser and plant protection product use and other relevant mandatory requirements established by national legislation and identified in the programme. The commitments are undertaken as a general rule for a period between five and seven years. The payments are granted annually and cover additional costs and income foregone resulting from the commitments made. Where necessary, they may cover also transaction cost. Where appropriate, the beneficiaries may be selected on the basis of calls for tender, applying criteria of economic and environmental efficiency. Support is limited to the maximum amounts between 200 € per Livestock Unit and 450-900 € per hectare. Support may be provided for the conservation of genetic resources in agriculture for operations not covered by the provisions under paragraphs 1 to 4.

To support the fisheries sector.
The objectives of the EFF are to:
- support the Common Fisheries Policy with a view to guaranteeing the sustainable exploitation of aquatic resources and the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the fisheries sector;
- promote the sustainable development of inland fishing;
- promote a sustainable balance between resources and the fishing capacity of the EU's fishing fleet;
- strengthen the competitiveness of the operating structures and the development of economically viable enterprises in the fisheries sector;
- foster the protection and enhancement of the environment and natural resources where related to the fisheries sector;
- encourage sustainable development and improvement of the quality of life in areas with an active fishing industry;
- promote equality between men and women in the development of the fisheries sector and fisheries areas.

To promote sustainable fisheries.
The objectives of this instrument are the following:
To promote sustainable fishing and optimum use of fish products.

To protect the environment.
The objective of the ERDF is to protect and improve the environment.

To support the forestry sector.
to support existing and newly established SMEs engaged in manufacturing and trade of agricultural and forestry products

To promote sustainable fisheries and protection of dolphins.
The Scheme aims to provide financial support for the Cypriot fishermen for the damages caused by dolphins. It also aims for the protection of dolphins which are protected species, as it provides a financial motive for the fishermen to do so.