Aid for organic farming
Article 35
1. Aid for organic farming shall be compatible with the internal market within the meaning of Article 107(3), point (c), of the Treaty and shall be exempted from the notification requirement of Article 108(3) thereof where it fulfils the conditions laid down in this Article and in Chapter I of this Regulation. 2. Aid may be granted to all undertakings or groups of undertakings which undertake on a voluntarily basis to convert to or maintain organic farming practices and methods as defined in Regulation (EU) 2018/848. 3. Member States shall provide aid only for commitments which go beyond: (a) the relevant statutory management requirements and GAEC standards established under Title III, Chapter I, Section 2, of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115; (b) the relevant minimum requirements for the use of fertiliser and plant protection products, animal welfare, and other relevant mandatory requirements established by national and Union law; (c) the conditions established for the maintenance of the agricultural area in accordance with Article 4(2) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115. 4. All such mandatory standards and requirements shall be identified and described in the national legal basis. 5. For commitments referred to in paragraph 3, point (b), where national law imposes new requirements which go beyond the corresponding minimum requirements laid down in Union law, aid may be granted for commitments contributing to compliance with those requirements for a maximum of 24 months from the date on which they become mandatory for the holding. 6. Commitments referred to in paragraph 3 shall be carried out over an initial period of five to seven years. In order to achieve or maintain certain environmental benefits sought, Member States may determine a longer period, including by providing for an annual extension after the termination of the initial period. Where aid is granted for conversion to organic farming Member States may determine a shorter period of at least one year. With regard to new commitments concerning maintenance directly following the commitment completed in the initial period, Member States may determine a shorter period of at least one year. 7. Member States shall ensure that the undertakings carrying out operations under this Article have access to the relevant knowledge and information required to implement such operations, and that appropriate training is made available for those who require it, as well as access to expertise in order to assist farmers who commit to change their production systems. 8. For commitments undertaken pursuant to this Article, the Member State shall provide a revision clause in order to ensure their adjustment in the case of amendments to the relevant mandatory requirements, standards and conditions referred to in paragraph 3. 9. The aid shall be granted annually in order to compensate for all or part of the additional costs and income foregone resulting from the commitments. Aid under this Article shall not be granted for commitments covered by Article 34, or for costs covered by Article 20. 10. Aid for investment in primary production and the processing and marketing of organic products shall be subject to the provisions of Articles 14 and 17. 11. The aid shall be limited to 100 % of the eligible costs and shall not exceed EUR 600 per hectare per year for annual crops, EUR 900 per hectare per year for specialised perennial crops and EUR 450 per hectare per year for other land uses.