Xylella: a 30 million call for proposals to restore olive groves in Puglia

Businesses will be able to choose between two investment options: the restoration of olive groves, by replacing damaged trees with cultivars recognised as resistant or tolerant, or the conversion of production to other tree crops permitted under phytosanitary regulations.The scheme will fund the investments necessary to restore production capacity, but not past lost income.

One of the key features of the call for applications is the fully automated preliminary assessment, which will be carried out via the National Agricultural Information System (SIAN) and the available agricultural databases. The use of information already held in these information systems will make it possible to verify eligibility criteria, award scores, calculate the grant and speed up the assessment of applications, thereby reducing the administrative burden and paperwork for businesses.

The use of standard costs and objective selection criteria also aims to ensure equitable treatment, transparency and verifiability of procedures, whilst simplifying the calculation of aid and the reporting of investments, without compromising on checks to ensure they are actually carried out.

One of the most significant aspects of the measure is that support is also available to businesses that have already carried out tree felling operations since April 2019, provided they meet the requirements set out in the call for applications. This decision recognises the efforts of businesses that have promptly addressed the consequences of the plant health emergency, ensuring that the work already carried out to remove affected trees does not put them at a disadvantage when it comes to accessing new investment opportunities.

The call for applications also gives priority to farms with smaller olive groves and to areas recognised as having been infected for a longer period, through selection criteria that take into account the scale of the interventions and the duration of the emergency’s impact. The ranking will be determined on the basis of a maximum score of 100 points, awarded by taking into account the farm’s specialisation in olive cultivation, the size of the affected area, how long the area has been infected, the applicant’s professional qualifications and the use of certified plant material. To be eligible for the aid, applicants must score at least 20 points.

The call for proposals gives priority to collective projects over individual applications, recognising that collaboration is a means of enhancing the effectiveness of investments and promoting a coordinated recovery of the sector. Agricultural olive cooperatives and recognised producer organisations may submit collective projects, provided they meet the minimum thresholds set out: at least 25 members and 50 hectares of olive groves for agricultural olive cooperatives; at least 50 members and 100 hectares for producer organisations.

The measure links public support to the actual implementation of investments and their continuity over time. Particular attention is paid to the use of certified plant material, which contributes to the quality of the new plantings and the traceability of the material used. The works must be completed within 12 months of the publication of the grant decision. The investments made must be maintained for at least five years from the date of payment of the final instalment, in accordance with the relevant obligations and subject to checks by the competent authorities.

Access to the scheme will be restricted to the infected zone within the area demarcated for Xylella fastidiosa, in accordance with the provisions set out in the notice, with eligibility checks carried out on an individual cadastral parcel basis. The requirements also include lawful management of the land, compliance with social security and administrative obligations, and damage to olive groves of at least 30 per cent, in accordance with ministerial declarations. The project must involve the replacement of at least 100 olive trees, with the number of trees replanted being equal to or greater than the number grubbed up.