The Support Programme has been drafted jointly with the inter-profes- sional organisations in the wine sector in Bulgaria and with State Fund for Agriculture through consultations in the Executive Agency on Vine and Wine – the official supervisory and control body of the Minister for Agriculture and Food, and administrator of the support measures within the sector according to the provisions of the Wine and Spirit Drinks Act (promulgated State Gazette, issue 45 of 16 June 2012, in force as of 16 September 2012)
Promotion
The measure aims to increase the quantity of wine of Bulgarian origin on the markets of third countries through the introduction of a system of measures promoting an increased demand for quality wines. This measure applies to wines with:
- a protected designation of origin (PDO) or,
- a protected geographical indication (PGI) or,
- varietal wines without PDO/PGI.
Types of activities:
- Public relations, promotional or advertisement measures, in particular highlighting the advantages of the Community products, especially in terms of quality, food safety or environmental friendliness;
- Participation at events, fairs or exhibitions of international importance;
- Information campaigns, in particular on the Community systems covering designations of origin, geographical indications and organic production;
- Studies of new markets, necessary for the expansion of market outlets;
- Studies to evaluate the results of the promotion and information actions.
Eligible applicants
- Private companies;
- Professional organisations;
- Producer organisations within the meaning of the Wine and Spirit Drinks Act.
- Inter-branch organisations within the meaning of the Wine and Spirit Drinks Act.
- Vineyard restructuring and conversion
1. Eligible activities:
1.1. Conversion of vine population with varieties, classified for the respective wine-growing regions of the country through:
1.1.1. replanting vines without changing their locations;
1.1.2. grafting.
1.2. Restructuring of vineyards through:
1.2.1. replanting vines with changing their locations;
1.2.2. planting vines under rights issued by the National Reserve of Planting Rights.
1.3. Improvements to vineyard management techniques:
1.3.1. Changing the layout with changes to the support structures;
1.3.2. Construction of support structures for existing vineyards, including for newly-planted vineyards;
1.3.3. Construction of support structures for existing vineyards;
1.3.4. Construction of erosion control facilities in the following forms:
- Construction of erosion control facilities (runoff retaining or run-off leading furrows and/ or collectors, grassed or not);
- Construction of underground drainage collectors;
- Construction of shafts and drainage channels (construction, cleaning and forming of ditches for drainage pipe trenches, laying of drainage pipes);
- Terracing or reconstructing existing terracing.
1.3.5. Irrigating - drip irrigation systems.
Supported operations:
The following practices are supported under each activity:
1. Conversion of vine population with varieties, classified for the respective wine-growing regions of the country through:
1.1. replanting vines without changing their locations – grubbing-up, planting, construction of support structures;
1.2. grafting – grafting practices, care for the graft vines.
2. Restructuring of vineyards through:
2.1. replanting vines with changing their locations – grubbing-up, plant- ing, construction of support structures;
2.2. planting vines under rights issued by the National Reserve of Planting Rights – planting, construction of support structures;
Where the grubbing up has already been done and replanting rights have been granted under Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 555/2008 the grubbing up is not sup- ported. Financial support is paid only for the planting and constructing of a support structure.
3. Improvements to vineyard management techniques.
3.1. Changing the training of the plants by changing the support struc- ture - pruning practices and constructing the new support structure;
3.2. Construction of support structures for existing vineyards, including for newly-planted vineyards - the activity itself is a new specific practice;
3.3. Changing the support structure of existing vineyards - practices - replacing an existing support structure with a new one;
3.4. Construction of erosion control facilities in the following forms:
- Construction of erosion control facilities (runoff retention or runoff diversion furrows and/or collectors, grassed or not) - the activity itself is a new specific practice;
- Construction of underground drainage collectors - the activity itself is a new specific practice;
- Construction of shafts and drainage channels (construction, cleaning and forming of ditches for drainage pipe trenches, laying of drainage pipes) - the activity itself is a new specific practice;
- Terracing or reconstructing existing terracing - the activity itself is a new specific practice and may include work (mechanised or manual), costs for purchase of materials and transport. е конкретна практика и е възможно да включва работа (механизирана или ръчна), разходи за закупуване на материали и транспорт.
3.5. Irrigating - drip irrigation systems - the activity itself is a new specific practice and may includes costs for purchase of a pumping station (gen- erator, buffer container, automation), equipment (piping, hosing, clamps, taps, valves, etc.), installation of the system, materials. The financial support is determined on the basis of the distance between the vineyard rows (up to 1.8 m, up to 2.0 m, up to 2.5 m, up to and above 3.0 m).
2. Compensation of producers for the loss of income in one of the following forms: 2.1. Permission for the co-existence of both old and new vines for a fixed period (right of deferred grubbing up), which shall not exceed three years, until the end of the transitional regime concerning planting rights;
2.2. Financial compensation - designated to compensate the loss of income in the period before the fruitage of newly created vineyards, which shall not exceed three years, for the purpose of caring for them and environmental protection. Financial compensation for the loss of income will be calculated on the basis of an average annual yield per hectare for the period of three years before getting a replanting right, multiplied by the area grubbed and multiplied by the price per kilogram of grapes, laid down by Order of the Minister for Agriculture and Food. Financial compensation for the loss of income shall be granted only to the beneficiaries who received financial support for grubbing up of existing vines in production for which is issued or has been issued an act for replanting right in accordance with national legislation.
Financial compensation for the loss of income shall not be granted for planting vines under rights issued by the National Reserve of Planting Rights.
3. Eligible applicants
Wine grape producers (grape producers), registered in the vineyard register.
The maximum amount of the financial aid shall be up to 75 % of the actual cost of implementing each particular activity on the basis of a certain price caps.
Green harvesting
1. Eligible activities:
Green pruning by complete removal of green, still unripe grape bunches.
2. Compensation of manufacturers
Financial compensation in the form of a flat rate payment per hectare which shall not exceed 50 % of the amount of direct costs for grape bunch removal and of the loss of income, resulting from measure implementation.
3. Specific Requirements
Good agricultural condition of vineyards within the meaning of the Wine and Spirit Drinks Act.
4. Eligible applicants
Wine grape producers (grape producers), registered in the vineyard register.
Investments in enterprises
А. Eligible activities:
Investments for the production of wine sector products:
1. Construction, acquisition (including under hire purchase conditions) or improvement of immovable assets in respect of temperature control and cellar infrastructure;
2. Purchase or hire purchase of new machinery and equipment, including of new computer software, in respect of:
2.1. Machinery/equipment for grape processing (weighing, crushing, press- ing, etc.);
2.2. Equipment for fermentation control, equipment for wine and grape must processing (filtration, setting, clarification, etc.);
2.3. Temperature control equipment;
2.4. Facilities for relocation of wine in cellars;
2.5. Sparkling wine technology facilities (production, storage, bottling);
2.6. Equipment (bottling, labelling, packing);
2.7. Waste water management facilities;
2.8. Equipment for the cellar infrastructure;
2.9. Equipment for wine storage, blending, care and ageing:
- Casks for fermentation, storage and ageing of wines, including of thermo regulating casks;
- Stainless steel tanks for wine production and wine storage – fixed and mobile;
- Plastic tanks for wine production and wine storage (certified for food use);
- Restoration of reinforced concrete facilities for wine sector products stor- age through the laying of new coating of the type epoxy resin or stainless steel;
- Wine fermentation, storage and ageing equipment for a cellar – racks, containers, humidifiers, micro oxygenation (micro-oxygenators);
- Module system for cask positioning;
- Automated racking system for bottled wine storage.
2.10. Management software for wine cellars:
- Computers and software for improvement of the quality of grape transportation and processing, wine production and processing and storage of stock and products;
- Computer equipment and its relevant programs, designated for the management of technological equipment for processing, storage and elaboration of the product;
- Computer programs for cellar management.
3. General costs, related to the costs stated in items 1 and 2, such as fees of architects, engineers and consultants, fees for feasibility studies, acquisition of patent rights and licences.
Activities under items 1, 2 and 3 shall be supported only under the National Programme and shall not be admissible for support under the Rural Devel- opment Programme.
The demarcation line between the National Support Programme in the Wine Sector and the RDP will be revised, if necessary, after the adoption of the new Rural Development Programme for the period 2014 2020.
B. Eligible applicants
Wine producers, registered in the vineyard register. The maximum amount of the financial aid shall be up to 50 % of the actual cost of implementing each particular activity.
