The Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture (APIA) informs potential beneficiaries that until August 9, 2023, inclusive, applications can be submitted for the state aid scheme to support cattle breeders in the bovine sector for the year 2022, in the context of the crisis caused by Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

The beneficiaries are animal breeders who permanently own bovine animals registered in the National Bovine Database (BND) as animal owners and/or farm owners, including:

1. Individuals;
2. Authorized individuals;
3. Individual enterprises;
4. Family enterprises;
5. Legal entities;
6. Agricultural companies established under Law No. 36/1991 on agricultural companies and other forms of association in agriculture, with subsequent amendments and completions.

The applications for state aid and the supporting documents are to be submitted/transmitted to APIA Centers, accompanied by a statement of own responsibility that they are not undergoing reorganization, liquidation, or bankruptcy as of February 24, 2022, according to the model provided in Annex No.1, point III of Emergency Ordinance No. 3/2023.

In case applicants do not have a unique registration code in the APIA's Unique Identification Register (RUI) before submitting the application, they are obliged to request registration at APIA Centers by submitting the Unique Identification Code Application Form, according to the model provided in Annex No. 1 of OMADR 22/2011 on the reorganization of the Farm Register, which becomes the Unique Identification Register, in order to access the measures regulated by the Common Agricultural Policy, with subsequent amendments and completions.

The documents attached to the application for state aid and the eligibility criteria are presented in the ANNEX.

The payment of state aid will be made until December 31, 2023.

Legislation:

1. Emergency Ordinance No. 3/2023 on establishing a state aid scheme to support cattle breeders in the bovine sector for the year 2022, in the context of the crisis caused by Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
2. Law No. 110/2023 for the approval of Government Emergency Ordinance No. 3/2023 on establishing a state aid scheme to support cattle breeders in the bovine sector for the year 2022, in the context of the crisis caused by Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

APIA, always alongside farmers!

ANNEX

The documents attached to the application for state aid are as follows:

General documents:

1. Copy of the beneficiary's ID card;
2. Certificate of registration with the National Trade Register Office of the beneficiary, authorization, and a copy of the ID card of the legal representative, if the application is submitted through an authorized representative or legal representative;
3. Proof of bank/treasury coordinates.

Specific documents:

1. Document issued by the users of the National Animal Identification and Registration System (SNIIA), showing the number of adult cows held on July 31, 2022, and December 31, 2022, in the farm(s) with the code assigned by the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority, listed in the application;
2. In case the application for state aid in the bovine sector includes multiple farms with ANSVSA codes, the above-mentioned document must be submitted separately for each farm with an ANSVSA code.

IMPORTANT:

The document will be issued by the users of the National Animal Identification and Registration System (SNIIA) and will be transmitted in electronic format to the local/judicial centers or the center in Bucharest of APIA.

Proof of milk utilization:

To the first buyer:

1. Copy of the contract concluded with a first buyer for a minimum period of 6 months, valid from August 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022, accompanied by the following documents, depending on the form of organization: a) For the PJ/PFA/II/IF producer: copies of daily closing fiscal reports/invoices showing milk sales from August 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022, and b) For the individual producer: copy of the fiscal invoice or copy of the invoice(s) from the agricultural product sales register, showing the quantity of milk sold from August 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022, accompanied by a copy of the producer's certificate, issued before August 1, 2022, and valid until at least December 31, 2022.

Other types of utilization:

1. Copy of the fiscal invoice or the page(s) from the agricultural product sales register for the individual producer, showing the quantity of milk sold from August 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022, accompanied by a copy of the producer's certificate, issued before August 1, 2022, and valid until at least December 31, 2022;
2. Copy of the goods accompanying note and receipt order for the amount/relevant fiscal documents for the milk sold by the producer from August 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022, through milk vending machines, regardless of the legal form of the producer;
3. Copy of the goods accompanying notes certifying the delivery and the reception of milk at the processing unit, showing the delivery and reception of milk from August 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022, to the producer's own processing unit, as well as a copy of the registration certificate issued by the National Trade Register Office, indicating the activity of milk processing.

Eligibility criteria:

a) Own at least 10 adult cows in a farm with an ANSVSA code, registered in the BND, except for those in the administrative-territorial units in the mountain area provided for in the Strategic Plan for CAP 2023-2027, approved by Decision C(2022) 8,783 of December 7, 2022, published on the website madr.ro, https://pndr.ro/documente/ro/PNS-2023-2027-lista-zonelor-eligibile-pentru-interventiile-HNV-ANC-AEC.xlsx, which must own at least 5 adult cows in a farm with an ANSVSA code, registered in the BND;

b) Produce and utilize milk from August 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022;

c) The beneficiary of state aid may differ from the owner of adult cows as of July 31, 2022, for the following cases, provided that the date of change of the form of organization/deregistration is between July 31, 2022, and the date of submitting the application for state aid: a) The beneficiary is an authorized individual - PFA, individual enterprise - II, family enterprise - IF, and the adult cows are registered in the BND on the personal numeric code (CNP) of the PFA, II, IF representative; b) The beneficiary is a natural person - CNP representative of PFA/II/IF, and the adult cows are registered in the BND under the unique registration code (CUI) of the PFA/II/IF.

d) Have at least 75% of the number of adult cows required in lit. a) on December 31, 2022, with the exception of those that were in one of the following situations: bankruptcy, liquidation, force majeure, or have farms subject to sanitary veterinary restrictions on animal movement caused by the diseases listed in art. 5, para. (1) a) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429;

e) Be registered in the unique identification register, hereinafter referred to as RUI, and have a unique registration code assigned by APIA;

f) Not be undergoing reorganization, liquidation, or bankruptcy as of February 24, 2022, according to the records of the National Trade Register Office, or in the case of a natural person, no final court decision declaring bankruptcy has been issued until February 24, 2022;

g) Eligible for payment are also the animals that entered or left the farms with ANSVSA codes owned by the same beneficiary or the farms of associations/cooperatives/producer groups where they were temporarily transferred for grazing purposes between July 31, 2022, and December 31, 2022.