PNRR call - modernisation of agricultural machinery

Innovation and mechanisation in the agricultural and food sector.

National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRP) - Mission 2 Component 1, Investment 2.3 Innovation and Mechanization in the agricultural and food sector - sub-measure "Modernization of agricultural machinery enabling the introduction of precision farming techniques" financed by the European Union - NextGenerationEU

The call implements the provisions of MASAF Ministerial Decree No. 413219/2023 and is aimed at the selection and subsequent funding of project proposals submitted by agricultural and agro-mechanical companies to modernise their agricultural machinery, introduce precision farming technologies and innovate irrigation and water management systems.

The financial endowment of the call for proposals of Euro 5,081,576.29 following the allocation of additional resources of Euro 13,603,236.37 by Masaf is increased to Euro 18,684,812.66.

The present call, through the eligible interventions, provides a contribution (tagging) to the digital equal to 50% of the financial resources available for the sub-measure. The tags of the sub-measure comply with Annexes VI and VII of Regulation (EU) No 241/2021. With reference to tagging, the fields of action for the sub-measure "modernisation of agricultural machinery enabling the introduction of precision farming techniques" are

- the 084 (Digitisation of transport: other modes of transport) with a contribution of 50% of the available resources;

- Z023 (Research and innovation processes, technology transfer and cooperation between enterprises focusing on the circular economy).

In addition to this tag, other climate tags listed in Annex VI of Regulation (EU) No. 241/2021 may be associated.

Pursuant to Article 9 of Regulation (EU) No 241/2021, the absence of 'double financing' is required in compliance with the conditions set out in RGS Circular No 33/2021, to which reference should be made for further details.

Any cumulation of aid, with other state aid or any other support measure financed by public resources, is governed in accordance with the applicable European legislation and the above-mentioned circular.

This notice applies to measures fully implemented in the Autonomous Province of Trento.

Eligible initiatives and costs

1. Machinery and equipment that meet the following requirements are eligible

(a) machinery and equipment for precision farming

a1. Machines, tractor and operating equipment and supporting devices and machinery such as, for example, field sensor systems, weather stations and APRs (drones), tools and devices for loading and unloading, handling, weighing and automatic sorting of parts, automated lifting and handling devices, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and flexible conveying and handling systems, and/or equipped with part recognition, which meet at least one of the following requirements

1. presence of or compatibility with an ISOBUS or equivalent system with task controller functionality;
2. presence of a light interconnection system capable of transmitting output data, functional, for example, to meet the additional requirements of remote maintenance and/or remote diagnostics and/or remote control and continuous monitoring of working conditions and process parameters;
3. presence of an automatic or semi-automatic guidance system;
4. presence of a remote maintenance and/or remote diagnostics and/or remote control system;
5. presence of proprietary solutions for variable rate control, section control or parallel driving strategies.

a2. Precision machinery and equipment to reduce the use of plant protection products and optimise the use of fertilisers, to improve the sustainability of production processes and protect the environment.

This includes machinery/equipment for fixed-point treatments (P.S.S.), used for overhead treatments, including dual-purpose treatments + frost protection.

a3. Machines and equipment dedicated to the livestock sector characterised by a high level of technology and automation, such as: machines whose operation is controlled by computerised systems or managed by means of appropriate sensors and drives (e.g. automation and digitalisation of animal feed); machine tools and systems for the production of products through the transformation of materials and raw materials; in-process monitoring systems to ensure and trace the quality of the product or production process and which allow production processes to be qualified in a documentable manner and connected to the factory information system.

For these machines/equipment, at least one of the following requirements must be met

1) presence of a light interconnection system capable of transmitting outgoing data, functional, by way of example, to meet the additional requirements of remote maintenance and/or remote diagnostics and/or remote control and continuous monitoring of working conditions and process parameters;

2) presence of a system for continuous monitoring of working conditions and process parameters by means of appropriate sets of sensors.

If the machines listed in point a) are equipped with a motor, this must be electric or biomethane powered. Please note that point (a) does not apply to off-road vehicles.

b) Replacement of off-road vehicles for agriculture and animal husbandry

Vehicles falling within the scope of Regulation (EU) 167/2013 (Requirements for type-approval and market surveillance of agricultural and forestry vehicles) which meet both of the following requirements

1) are equipped with an electric or biomethane engine. In this case, producers of gaseous biofuels and biomethane must provide certificates (proofs of sustainability) issued by independent assessors, as stipulated in the RED II Directive (Directive (EU) 2018/2001); operators must purchase guarantee of origin certificates commensurate with their intended use;

2) are intended for agricultural or livestock activities. The purchase of the above-mentioned vehicles is authorised only in the case of replacement of more polluting vehicles, in order to comply with the principle "not to cause significant damage". Therefore, the application for support must unequivocally identify the vehicle replaced and the scrapping of the latter must be documented in the final report.

c) Investment support for innovation in irrigation and water management systems

Intelligent irrigation management systems through remote sensing (e.g. Sentinel 2 satellite data) and/or proximal sensing (e.g.data from drones, sensors or ground stations) for measuring weather variables, moisture and soil and crop characteristics and the use of decision support systems (DSS) for estimating crop irrigation needs and precision irrigation management, enabling the best strategies to optimise yields and minimise the use of water resources, also linked to real-time information systems on smartphones or automated management of irrigation systems (e.g. variable rate sprinkler irrigation technologies). In this context, eligible assets aimed at the implementation of smart technologies for irrigation and water management on farms may consist of

- tangible assets, for which reference is made to Annex A of Law No. 232 of 2016 (Assets functional to the technological and digital transformation of enterprises according to the "Industry 4.0" model);

- intangible assets, for which reference is made to Annex B of Law No 232 of 2016 (Intangible assets such as (software, systems and system integration, platforms and applications) related to investments in "Industry 4.0" tangible assets).

Eligibility requirements for interventions

For eligibility purposes, the interventions:

(a) are entirely carried out in the Province of Trento;

(b) the operations are started (date of the order, purchase confirmation, transport document (DDT), accompanying invoice or invoice relating to any down payments or advances) after the submission of the application for support in accordance with Section 3.4 of the EU Guidelines

(c) do not lead to a deterioration of the environment and natural resources;

(d) comply with national and EU environmental protection standards;

e) ensure compliance with the DNSH, as referred to in Article 17 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852 and the sheets referred to in RGS Circular No. 32/2021, insofar as they are applicable to investments financed under this call. In annex A shows the methods of verification and the documentation to be acquired by the beneficiary.

Type and rates of support

Support is granted in the form of a capital contribution

The intensity of support is 65% of eligible expenditure, raised to80% in the case of enterprises run by young farmers.

The support is calculated by applying the relevant intensity to the expenditure considered eligible following the carrying out of the preliminary investigation and controls referred to in Article 15.

Grants are made with NextGenerationEU funds to be fully borne by the European Union.

Minimum and maximum amounts of expenditure and levels of aid

The following maximum amounts of eligible expenditure per aid application are established

• euro 35,000.00 for the investments referred to in points a) and c) of Article 8, paragraph 1;
• euro 70.000,00 for point b) of the same paragraph;

It should also be noted that for types a) and c), applications that submit expenses exceeding €70,000.00 will not be admitted.

For ineligible expenses please refer toArticle 10 of Resolution No. 2396/2023.

Criteria of selection of applications

The ranking list for access to grants for the applications submitted is drawn up on the basis of merit scores for which please refer to Article 13 of Resolution No 2396/2023.

Scoring is based on the prevailing investment.

The following commitments are imposed on the beneficiary

a)conclude the operation admitted to financing within the deadline indicated in the granting measure (in any case no later than 31/12/2025);

b) maintain for all transactions relating to the operation a separate accounting system (or an adequate accounting codification) and computerised, so as to ensure the traceability of the use of the PNRR resources, without prejudice to national accounting standards. This obligation is fulfilled by

• the affixing of the Unique Project Code (CUP) and the indication of the words "Financed by the European Union- NextGenerationEU" on invoices and transfers;
• using for all active and passive operations related to the subsidised interventions a current account dedicated, even if not exclusively, to the financed initiatives and in the name of the beneficiary.

c) send to the Agricultural Service of the Autonomous Province of Trento, duly completed and signed, the Deed of Obligation referred to in Article 19 by the deadline set

(d) transmit within the established deadlines, also by means of computerised tools, the information necessary for the monitoring and evaluation system on the progress of the programme;

e)ensure compliance with the prohibition of double financing and cumulability, as specified in Circular MEF RGS. no. 33/2021;

f)maintain the eligibility requirements of the beneficiary and the intervention until the final payment of the support;

g) carry out the intervention in accordance with the provisions set out in the application for support, without prejudice to any variants

(h) ensuring that information and communication actions are carried out in accordance with Article 34(2) of Regulation (EU) 2021/241. In particular, all information and publicity actions carried out must be consistent with the terms of use of the logos and other graphic materials defined by the Ministry and the European Commission (EU emblem) to accompany the implementation of the PNRR, including the reference to financing by the European Union and the Next Generation EU initiative using the phrase 'financed by the European Union - Next Generation EU' . This must be affixed to all administrative/accounting documents (invoices, transfers, etc.);

i) ensure, insofar as applicable, compliance with the principles of equal opportunities (to be understood as gender equality, protection and enhancement of young people and guarantee of the right to work of people with disabilities pursuant to Article 47 of Legislative Decree 77/2021 and Circular DPCM 30/12/2021), non-discrimination, transparency, proportionality, if applicable to the financed operation

j) ensure compliance with the "Do No Significant Harm -DNSH" principle, i.e. not to have caused significant damage to the environment;

k)pursuant to the Ministerial Decree of 8 August 2023, not to dispose of, transfer or divert from use the financed assets for at least 5 years following the date of payment of the balance of the investment

l)not proceed, for the same period, with the cessation, transfer or transfer of the supported productive activity outside the territory of the Province of Trento as well as with the change of ownership of the financed assets, without prejudice to the provisions of Article 26 in the event of force majeure

(m) keep for the same period and make available in case of control all the documentation relating to the financed intervention;

n)allow and facilitate, at any stage of the procedure, the performance of all controls, inspections and monitoring ordered by the Province, also facilitating the verifications of the Ministry, the Audit Unit, the European Commission and other authorised bodies

o)ensure the compliance with all the provisions provided for by the Community and national legislation, with particular reference to the provisions of Reg. (EU) 2021/241 governing the recovery and resilience device and Decree-Law no. 77 of 31.05.2021, as amended by Law no. 108 of 29 July 2021, and the compliance with the provisions of the MEF/RGS Circulars available on the website of the Ministry, PNRR section

p)ensure adequate preservation of the project documentation, in order to ensure the complete traceability of the transactions. In particular, in compliance also with the provisions of Article 9, paragraph 4, of Decree-Law No. 77 of 31 May 2021, converted into Law No. 108 of 29 July 2021. 108, the beneficiary must comply with the relevant obligations to keep the project documentation, which, in the various stages of control and verification provided for by the management and control system of the NSRP, must be made readily available, upon request of the Agriculture Service of the Autonomous Province of Trento, the the Audit Unit, the European Commission, OLAF, the European Court of Auditors (ECA), the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) and the competent national judicial authorities where they are competent, authorising the Commission, OLAF, the Court of Auditors and the EPPO to exercise their rights under Article 129(1) of the Financial Regulation (EU); EURATOM) 2018/1046;

(q)fully implement the actions and start the project activities in a timely manner, in order not to incur implementation delays, and conclude the facilitated initiatives in the form, manner and timeframe foreseen, as well as submit to the Administration any changes to the facilitated initiatives

r)contributing to the achievement of the milestones and targets associated with the sub-measure;

s)carry out the management and administrative-accounting controls required by the applicable national legislation to ensure the regularity of the procedures and the expenses incurred, as well as the traceability of the expenses to the project proposal eligible for PNRR facilities.

Agri-mechanical enterprises and micro, small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises and their cooperatives and associations, as defined in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2022/2472.

Large enterprises or, more generally, enterprises that do not meet the criteria contained in Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 2472/2022 are excluded.

Applicants must meet the following requirements on the date of submission of the application for support and the application for payment

a) be registered with the competent CCIAA and have a VAT number;

b) have a confirmed and updated Farm File pursuant to Article 43 of Decree-Law No. 76 of 2020. For agro-mechanical companies, a master file is sufficient;

c) for micro, small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises and their cooperatives and associations not to be enterprises in difficulty as defined in Article 2, point (59) of Regulation (EU) 2022/2472;

d) be in the "absence of serious offences against the State and the European Union" pursuant to the Contracts Code - Legislative Decree no. 36 of 31 March 2023

e) in the case of investments referred to in Article 7, paragraph 4, letter b), undertake to replace another vehicle owned by the same beneficiary

f) not be subject to pending recovery orders following a previous Commission decision declaring the aid unlawful and incompatible with the internal market.

The application may be submitted by the owner of the farm or by the legal representative in the case of a company, (a consultant may be used to enter the application into SRTrento only).

Applications must be submitted using the computerised procedures on the https://srt.infotn.it portal , by the deadline of 15 March 2024 and from 20 May to 31 May 2024.

To submit an application, you must

- have a digital signature;

- whoever enters the application (the applicant or the appointed consultant) must be accredited to the portal, as specified on this webpage

The application must be digitally signed by the person entitled to sign the document, otherwise it will be inadmissible.

For any assistance in accessing and enabling the portal, please contact helpdesk.srtrento@provincia.tn.it.

Only one application for aid may be submitted. Any applications for support subsequent to the first will not be considered admissible, subject to prior withdrawal of the previous application.

The following shall constitute grounds for the inadmissibility of the application

1. failure to meet the application deadline;
2. In the case of an application lacking the required documentation or submitted after the deadline or not digitally signed by the applicant, the applicant will be notified that the application is inadmissible and inadmissible.
3. the submission of applications using methods other than those described above;
4. applications signed by a person other than the legal representative or a person expressly delegated.

For the contents of the application, please refer to Article 14(6) of the call for applications

The following documents must be attached to the fully completed application form

a) three cost estimates signed by the supplier, detailed, comparable and competitive with respect to market prices (not list prices), issued by 3 different, independent and competing suppliers;
(b) if the applicant does not choose the lower priced quotation, a short technical-economic report by a qualified technician explaining the reason for the choice of the quotation considered valid. Failing this, the cost of the lowest estimate shall be taken into account;
c) in the case of acquisitions of highly specialised goods and in the case of investments to complete pre-existing supplies, for which it is not possible to find or use more than one supplier, a detailed cost estimate to which must be attached a technical-economic report by a qualified technician highlighting the impossibility of identifying other competing firms capable of supplying the goods to be financed, regardless of the value of the goods or supplies to be purchased
d) form in Annex A, certifying compliance with the principle of "not causing significant damage" (DNSH), filled in only in the "ex-ante" section, signed by the applicant and by a qualified technician, as well as the documentation indicated in the same section associated with the relevant types of intervention
e) privacy policy set out in Annex B (incorporated in the application);
f) affidavit in lieu of affidavit as per Annex D, pursuant to Article 48 of Presidential Decree 445/2000, certifying compliance with the principles, obligations and conditionality provided for the PNRR interventions.

• identification of the "beneficial owner", as per the MEF RGS. circular no. 27 of 15.09.2023 and the related Thematic Appendix on "Recognition of beneficial ownership
• absence of double financing and conflict of interest;
• "no significant damage to the environment" (DNSH) and EU environmental objectives;
• that the implementation of the project provides for compliance with applicable European and national legislation, with particular reference to the principles of equal treatment, non-discrimination, transparency, proportionality and publicity.

Chronoprogramme

1. Within 10 days of the date of submission of the application, the Agricultural Service of the Autonomous Province of Trento shall notify the applicant of the Unique Project Code (CUP), to be affixed to invoices and expenditure documents.

The CUP must always be present in the documents supporting the expenditure (invoices and payment documents) issued after the CUP has been communicated.

Expenditure supported by documents (invoices and/or payments) without a CUP code will not be eligible for funding.

2. The procedure for granting or refusing the grant is as follows

(a)By 15 March 2024 and from 20 May to 31 May 2024 - Deadline for acquisition of applications for support;

b) By 30 September 2024 - Selection of eligible applications and formation of the ranking list (list of eligible projects) and communication to the beneficiaries indicating the conditions for funding and implementation of the initiative. The ranking list will be published on the Autonomous Province of Trento website.

c) By 7 October 2024 - Transmission to the MASAF, by the Regions and Autonomous Provinces, of the outcome of the selection of the applications and the formation of the ranking list with the indication of the amounts exceeding those necessary to pay all the eligible beneficiaries, for the purpose of the subsequent reallocation of resources by the Ministry.

d) The procedures for granting or denying aid shall be concluded within 120 days starting from the working day following the deadline for submitting applications.

e) By 31 December 2025 - Completion of the investments and submission of the application for payment of the balance by the beneficiaries;

f) By 30 June 2026 - Disbursement of the grant for all beneficiaries.

In the case of applications included in the priority list, but not eligible for funding due to lack of resources, also taking into account any reallocations pursuant to letter d) of paragraph 2, a non-acceptance measure is adopted pursuant to Provincial Law 23/92, to be communicated to the applicant.

Assessment of aid applications

As regards the procedures for assessing applications, please refer to the provisions of Article 16 of Resolution No 2396/2023.

Before the project is admitted to financing, the Province shall carry out a formal 100% check of the data provided and the declarations made by the participants in the call for applications for the purpose of verifying the beneficial owner, preventing and combating conflicts of interest and the non-existence of double financing.

With the notification of the grant award decision, the form of thedeed of obligation set out inAnnex C is transmitted, which the beneficiary company shall return to the Autonomous Province of Trento, duly completed and signed in the manner required by the regulations in force.

This document shall serve as the beneficiary company's acceptance of the funding and, with it, its assumption of the obligations associated with the implementation of the NRP measures.

The deadlines for reporting on the initiatives are set at 31 December 2025. Failure to submit the request for the balance by the deadline will result in the withdrawal of the measure granting support.

Variants

Variants to funded initiatives are not permitted.

Payment Applications

Payment applications must be submitted online through the portal https://srt.infotn.it , and digitally signed by the beneficiary.

For the contents of the application and the documentation to be attached to it, please refer to the provisions of Article 19 of Criteria Resolution No. 2396/2023, as amended.

The results of the liquidation enquiries are set out in a check-list signed by the official in charge on the basis of which the grant is paid.