Funding for Consulting Services on Organic Farming Practices (FRL-Ökoberatung)

The FRL-Ökoberatung funding program in Saarland targets public and private providers of consulting services. The goal is to strengthen competitive organic agriculture and promote resource efficiency and climate resilience in the agricultural sector. The consulting services must benefit agricultural businesses and producer organizations.

The FRL-Ökoberatung funds consulting services in organic agriculture, including conversion and solving specific production problems. The funding covers 100 percent of eligible expenses, with a maximum funding per consulting service. Measures already financed by other public programs are not funded.

Funding is provided as a non-repayable grant. The funding amount is 100 percent of eligible expenses, up to a maximum of 800 Euros per consulting service. The maximum total funding per calendar year is limited to 20,000 Euros, with a de minimis threshold of 800 Euros per application.

Specific legal and administrative requirements apply to the funding. Consulting providers must be qualified and approved and enter into a contract with the agricultural business. Certain companies are excluded from funding. The measures are exempt under EU state aid law and require the provision of anonymized operational data.

The application for funding must be submitted by the consulting provider to the Ministry of Environment and Consumer Protection using the provided forms. The proof of use can be submitted directly with the application, at least once a year by November 15, optionally additionally on April 15 and/or August 15.

The FRL-Ökoberatung funding program is based on a specific directive of Saarland and the GAK Act. It is also subject to the administrative regulations of Saarland's State Budget Ordinance and relevant EU regulations.