Grants for measures to prevent damage caused by ungulates

Agricultural businesses registered for VAT may apply for funding to erect fences designed to prevent wild boars, red deer, roe deer and other species of wildlife (other than predators, i.e. other than bears and wolves) from entering their land.

Applications must be submitted between 1 January and 30 June each year.

Applicants for subsidies for preventive measures are required to

maintain them in good working order for agricultural purposes for a period of 10 years from

the date of the final inspection. In the case of nets that are removable at certain times of the year, the

nets must nevertheless be stored on the farm during the off-season.

The following entities, which qualify as small or medium-sized enterprises, are eligible:

a) farmers holding an agricultural VAT registration number;

b) associations of agricultural enterprises acting collectively, including land reclamation consortia, first- and second-level land improvement consortia, and business networks.

Applications may be submitted in person or via certified email (to the certified email address of the Agriculture Service or the local agricultural office of that service)

The application for financial assistance, drawn up in accordance with the template adopted by the relevant provincial authority, contains a declaration in lieu of a notarial certificate attesting that:

• that the undertaking is not in difficulty, as defined by current EU legislation;
• that the undertaking is not subject to any recovery orders relating to previous aid declared unlawful by the European Union;
• (in the case of initiatives undertaken by individual companies) the existence of a valid legal title proving that the applicant owns or holds the land parcels covered by the initiative, together with a list of the said parcels. Alternatively, where the applicant is the owner of the plots of land covered by the project, they may provide the cadastral details.
• (where the land covered by the initiative is not owned by the applicant) authorisation to carry out the works, except in the case of a family business within the meaning of Article 230-bis of the Civil Code. In the event of failure to declare authorisation and where partnership or tenancy agreements are in place, the provisions of Law No. 203 of 3 May 1982 shall apply;
• (in the case of inter-company projects) that the land parcels concerned by the project fall within the consortium’s boundaries and/or that any necessary permits for right of way, intervention or connection have been obtained.

The following documentation must be attached to the application:

1. project plans for the plots concerned, including those conforming to the cadastral map;
2. details of the valid planning permission, where required by current legislation;
3. details of any further authorisations required by current legislation;
4. any intention to carry out the works using the company’s own workforce.

Applications may be submitted from 1 January to 30 June each year.

1. The data and land parcel details of the holding, as set out in the up-to-date holding records, will be used for the preliminary assessment of applications.

2. Applications will be assessed in the chronological order in which they are submitted, whilst the grant of the subsidy will be based on the date on which the assessment is completed.

3. The department responsible for the assessment will seek the opinion of the department responsible for wildlife matters regarding any adverse impacts on wildlife, or possible alternative preventive measures. The provincial department responsible for wildlife matters may, at its discretion, identify categories and specific cases for which it is not necessary to seek an opinion, as these are automatically deemed to be favourable.

4. Should the financial resources allocated annually for this type of project prove insufficient to meet all the applications submitted, the subsidy shall be refused.