(Finance) – The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Dutch 50 million euro scheme to compensate for the cattle breeders for the voluntary closure of livestock farms in nature conservation areas in the Netherlands. The aim of the scheme is to reduce nitrogen deposition caused by agricultural activities, in light of the conservation objectives and requirements of the Birds and Habitats Directives.
The scheme, which will last five years, will be open to small and medium-sized livestock farmers in the Netherlands voluntarily and irrevocably closing their sites livestock farming, where the nitrogen deposition load of such sites exceeds certain minimum levels. Under the scheme, aid will take the form of direct grants and will cover up to 120% of eligible costs, including compensation for loss of production capacity and for the costs of dismantling and disposal of production capacity.