The rules of support for Young Farmers are changing
This year, support for young farmers will be provided to establish stock farms in less favorable farming areas. Such new Lithuanian Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 measures’ "Establishment of Young Farmers" implementing rules have been approved by the Ministry of Agriculture.
The Rules provide that the applicant, establishing a stock farm, will have to manage ownership at least 8 hectares of agricultural land area. Recievers of support in the period of project monitoring will have to increase the number of concerted livestock: at the end of controlling period, the number of concerted livestock per 1 hectare of agricultural land will have to be not less than 0.5.
Rules approved new priority criterias for the projects:
- the property is taken over under the measure "Early retirement from agricultural production";
- the number of concerted livestock per 1 hectare, for which the support is awarded, was considered major at the 1st January 2012;
- applicant has agricultural or veterinary professional, non-university or university education;
- applicant has been on a trip abroad and declared his departure to the Immigration Office for at least 6 months within the last 3 years to the application filling date;
- the farm is established only in the ownership land.
Ministry of Agriculture informs that 97 per cent of funds are already paid for the measure "Establishment of Young Farmers", 6.4 million Lt left to implement. "Establishment of Young Farmers" was the most popular measure of the Rural development programme: 2 357 applications have been collected till the Fabruary of 2012, 2 164 applicants have already signed contracts. During the period of 2007-2013, young farmers received about 300 million Lt of support.
Source: Ministry of Agriculture