The newly-restored offices of the Payments Agency at Ghammieri were inaugurated yesterday, in time to accept claims for financial aid from farmers who have registered their land.

The parliamentary secretary for agriculture and fisheries, Francis Agius said the exercise establishing rights under which farmers and breeders will receive payments has been concluded and the Payments Agency has informed the farmers of what rate will apply. Under these rights, farmers and breeders will now be receiving decoupled payments, meaning payments are not linked to production.

Malta adopted the reform for the common agricultural policy from 1 January last year. That reform will yield between 2007-13 over e26 million in direct aid not linked to production which will be passed directly to farmers and breeders, if these applied for aid last year.

The aid will be given with the introduction of the unique payment, issued by the Payments Agency, and includes assistance for beef slaughter, sheep breeding, and aids previously given on productive land.

Dr Agius said the reform process to the CAP, including the reform for the fruit and vegetable sector, will continue this year. Growers who produce tomatoes for processing will receive a minimum, likely to be of over e232 (Lm100) per tomna, which they used to receive from the EU, amounting to e0.033 (1c4) per kilo or e32.611 (Lm14) for every 100kg as of right. This means the aid will not be linked to volume of tomato production, but to the fact that a grower was active in the sector, not necessarily during 2008.

Payments will start being made in May, to be followed by another in December.

Over the coming seven years, 2007-13, farmers and breeders will be able to apply for other aid under the new rural programme approved by the EU last year, valued at e100 million. Assistance may be given for environmental measures, machinery, water reservoirs, greenhouses, and other necessary investments.