Support for Agricultural Holdings in Areas with Environmental Restrictions (Compensation Payment)

This funding program targets farmers and other land managers in North Rhine-Westphalia. The aim is to support holdings that cultivate permanent grassland areas in particularly sensitive regions with environment-specific requirements, to promote the preservation of ecological coherence.

The program supports specific management requirements on permanent grassland areas in designated protected zones. It compensates for flat-rate income losses and additional costs arising from these environment-specific restrictions.

Funding is provided as a grant (project funding with fixed-sum financing) and compensates for flat-rate income losses and additional costs per hectare. The amount varies depending on the funding area and additional requirements.

Various obligations must be met for funding, including basic farm management requirements and GAEC standards. There are specific regulations for the protection of breeding birds and their nests, as well as restrictions on construction measures. Violations of these requirements can lead to reductions or exclusion from funding.

The application for a grant is submitted annually electronically together with the collective application by May 15 to the Chamber of Agriculture North Rhine-Westphalia. Upon receipt of the application, consent to the early start of the measure is deemed granted.

The funding program is based on the 'Guideline on the Granting of Subsidies for the Promotion of Agricultural Holdings in Areas with Environment-Specific Restrictions (Compensation Payment Guideline)' of July 5, 2023. This guideline relies on a variety of EU regulations on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and national laws.