Rural Development Programme for England
FROM THE GROUND UP Taking the Leader approach in the NORTH WEST
Guide for Applicants
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Foreword The diversity and innovative nature of LEADER programmes have been in large measure a testament to the effectiveness, commitment and enthusiasm of those involved. The value of the Leader approach to rural development, its involvement of local people in the planning, management and delivery of its programmes has been recognised by the European Union, who have insisted that the new Rural Development Regulation should include delivery using this approach. I hope this document will provide you with clear guidance on how the region can utilise the best of this approach, to effectively deliver the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) to best advantage which is being co-financed between the European Union and the Depart for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Our Regional Implementation Plan (RIP) provides details of how the RDPE will be delivered and they key priorities within the region. The North West RIP has four thematic action areas: • • • •
Making farming and forestry more competitive and sustainable Enhancing the environment and countryside Enhancing opportunities in rural areas Skills, knowledge transfer and capacity building
The Northwest Regional Development Agency’s role in effectively implementing RDPE must be about creating a strong sustainable foundation for the region’s rural businesses and communities and we intend to work with partners to achieve that end. RDPE must help make agriculture and forestry more competitive and sustainable. It must help ensure that we are enhancing opportunities for rural areas; and we must work together to ensure that RDPE Axis 2 activity, that aims to safeguard and enhance the rural environment is complementary to these objectives. The Leader approach is a mechanism by which a 'bottom-up' community involvement approach to rural development can be achieved. It is an important and valued approach and we look forward to your response on how we can deliver RDPE from the ground up.
David Hunter Head of Rural Affairs Northwest Regional Development Agency
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Contents Page 1
Introduction
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What was LEADER and what is the Leader approach?
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The Leader Approach in the North West
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The Leader Selection Process in the North West
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Funding for Local Action Groups
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Useful Contacts and Links
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Appendix 1 Regional Selection Criteria
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Appendix 2 Common Measure template
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Appendix 3 Financial Tables
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Appendix 4 Annex 1 Products as defined by the Treaty of Rome
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1. Introduction – The Rural Development Programme for England 2007 to 2013 and the Leader approach. The new RDPE will run from 2007 to 2013 and is jointly funded by the European Union (EU), through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, and the United Kingdom (UK) Government. Funding through the new Programme will support the following objectives: • • •
Making agriculture and forestry more competitive and sustainable (Axis 1) Safeguard and enhance the rural environment (Axis 2) Enhancing opportunities in rural areas (Axis 3)
In order to enable a 'bottom-up' community involvement approach to rural development a final Axis of the Programme (Axis 4) has been developed and is termed “The Leader Approach” by the EU. Rather than being a discrete package of activities, the Leader approach is a mechanism by which the other three axes can be delivered. The second axis will be delivered by Natural England and the Forestry Commission and axes 1 and 3 will be managed the Regional Development Agencies in England. Each region has prepared a RIP which provides details of how the RDPE will be delivered and the key priorities within the region. The North West RIP can be downloaded at www.nwda.co.uk/rdpe. In line with the national programme, the North West RIP has identified four thematic action areas: • • • •
Making farming and forestry more competitive and sustainable Enhancing the environment and countryside Enhancing opportunities in rural areas Skills, knowledge transfer and capacity building
The second theme will be primarily delivered by Natural England and the Forestry Commission through the Environmental Stewardship Scheme, the Hill Farm Allowance, the English Woodland Grant Scheme and the Energy Crops Scheme. The other themes, including the Leader approach, will be delivered by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). A key objective of the North West RIP is the integration in the delivery of activities across the four thematic action areas to ensure the maximum possible benefit for rural areas.
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2. What was LEADER and what is the “Leader Approach”? LEADER (Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de l'Economie Rurale 1) has been a major initiative for rural development since its launch in1991 as a Community Initiative funded through the EU Structural Funds. The LEADER initiative provided rural communities with the tools to enable them to play an active role in shaping their own future. It aimed to encourage rural territories to explore new ways to become or remain competitive and make the most of their assets. There have been three phases of LEADER since 1991, LEADER I (1991 – 1994), LEADER II (1995 – 1999) and LEADER+ (2000 – 2006). Each programme has built upon lessons learnt in the previous programme and in the UK the coverage of the approach has expanded. The community based bottom-up approach (“The Leader approach”) to rural development provides opportunities for local communities and enterprises to identify their needs and devise appropriate strategies as part of the delivery of RDPE. This approach involves establishing partnerships that will receive a budget to support the implementation of projects. The key difference between the previous LEADER programmes and the new Leader approach is that it is a method for delivery and not a separate programme of activities. Its focus must be the priorities within the RIP for the RDPE. The new Rural Development Regulation sets out the key requirements that define the Leader approach which must apply in ALL cases: • • • • • • •
it should be area based involving well-identified sub-regional territories it should involve local public-private partnerships (local action groups or LAGs) it is a “bottom-up” approach with decision-making power for LAGs a local development strategy must be formulated which is representative of a broad cross-section of the local economy it must involve innovative locally tailored solutions to meet the needs of the area it must involve co-operation between organisations there should be networking of LAGs facilitated by a National Rural Network
Geographical Coverage The Leader approach will be open to all rural areas in the North West of England. However the following conditions must apply: •
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the population of the geographic area must be no less than 5,000 but not more than 150,000 inhabitants
Links between actions of rural development 5
• •
the area shall offer sufficient critical mass of human and financial resources to support a viable local development strategy the area should constitute a socially cohesive territory sharing common traditions, a local identify and a sense of place
Composition of Local Action Groups LAGs can be new groups or groups that have already qualified for delivery for LEADER II or LEADER+. The Rural Development Regulation sets out the conditions a LAG must meet as follows: • •
• •
it must propose a local development strategy and be responsible for implementation it must represent various socio-economic sectors in the geographic area. At the decision-making level it must include a minimum of 50% membership from outside the public sector, such as farmers, rural businesses, young people, rural women, voluntary and community organisations. it must select an administrative or financial lead actor or come together in a legally constituted structure it must network with other LAGs to ensure best practice and implement innovations from elsewhere
Role of the Local Action Group The LAG has a number of duties which it will be expected to perform in order to successfully deliver the local development strategy. These are as follows: • • • • • •
Develop the capacity of the partnership to implement the local development strategy Administration of the Leader partnership including holding regular (at least quarterly) meetings of the decision-making body Encouraging and supporting projects being delivered as part of the implementation of the local development strategy Provide strategic direction through the development of the local development strategy, annual reviews and mid-term and final evaluations Creating a panel to appraise and select projects to be funded by the LAG Publicise the use of EU and Defra funding through the Leader approach by implementing their Communication Strategy
Role of the Administrative and Financial Lead Actor Each LAG must either select an administrative and financial lead actor able to administer public funds and ensure the satisfactory operation of the 6
partnership or come together in a legally constituted common structure the constitution of which guarantees the satisfactory operation of the partnership and the ability to administer public funds. In the LEADER + programme both mechanisms have been utilised in the UK. Examples of lead actors include local authorities and regeneration companies. The administrative lead actor will work in conjunction with the LAG to: •
• •
ensure all of the projects that are funded via the local development strategy are monitored in accordance with EU, Defra and NWDA regulations and procedures and the appropriate records are kept to evidence project performance, outputs, procurement, publicity and outputs ensure an audit trail is in place to meet EU, Defra and NWDA requirements for all expenditure and administrative procedures be the link between the LAG and NWDA as appropriate
Key Features of the Leader approach The key concept behind the Leader approach is that development strategies are more effective and efficient if decided at the local level by local actors. The difference between the Leader approach and more common rural policy measures is how the strategy is formulated. The following cross-cutting features of the Leader approach, if implemented together in a cohesive manner, enable rural communities to bring about significant change at the local level. Focus The Leader approach allows local actors to clearly focus on a set of specific issues and tailor solutions to suit rural needs thereby increasing local competitive advantage. Leader does not constitute a general fund where no other funding is available. The proposed actions must be in line with the needs of the local area. Not all areas will have the same needs or solutions. Each particular package of actions put together by local actors will depend upon many factors including economic and social diversity, the role of farming, land management, environmental concerns and traditions of the area. Innovation The intention of the Leader approach is not to sustain existing projects. The European Commission introduced LEADER in 1991 as specific mechanism to fund new and innovative approaches to rural development. It is therefore imperative that LAGs ensure innovation is a key theme running throughout their local development strategy. Innovation can be the introduction of a new product, process, technology, organisation or market. Alternatively in terms of the Leader approach, innovation can also mean the transfer and adaptation of innovations that have been successful elsewhere by sharing know-how with other groups. Integration The local development strategy must have multi-sectoral rationale and demonstrate links between benefits to the economy, the community and the environment. In addition, the local development strategies 7
must also contribute to the sub-regional strategies prepared by the five subregional rural partnerships in the North West. Contact details of each of the sub-regional rural partnerships can be found at the end of this document. Collaboration Collaboration can help Leader groups to learn from others and achieve the critical mass required to implement particular actions. Co-operation is a key feature of the Leader approach. It involves LAGs undertaking a joint project with another Leader group, or similar, in the UK or Europe. Whilst this is not an absolute requirement the region is looking for partnerships who commit to learning from the experience of others. Sustainability It is important that projects supported via the Leader approach produce sustainable outcomes that last after the grant comes to an end. To achieve critical mass, projects that bring benefits to multiple beneficiaries will be encouraged over narrow actions supporting one business or community group.
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3. The Leader approach in the North West Themes of the Regional Implementation Plan In its guidance to the regions on how to develop their RIPs, Defra established three desired themes for action as follows: • • •
Making farming and forestry more competitive Conserving and enhancing the environment and the countryside Enhancing opportunities and quality of life in rural areas
This thematic direction indicates that a joined-up approach to programme delivery should be pursued. As the regional experience of rural diversification has shown, rural development programmes are at their most cost effective when they adopt a holistic and sustainable approach. For example, where environmental enhancement is used to boost a tourism business or where an agricultural business diversifies into an area that also has a positive environmental outcome (e.g. biomass). In addition to the above themes, the North West partners have added a fourth cross-cutting theme of: •
Developing skills, knowledge transfer and capacity building
With these four themes established and agreed and with the desire for joinedup delivery of the RIP, a strong framework has been created for programme delivery. It is important that LAGs ensure that the proposed activities within their local development strategy contribute to one or more of the above thematic action areas.
Key Issues in the North West In preparing the North West RIP an analysis was conducted of the region’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Seven of the significant issues highlighted in this analysis are explored in more detail below. It is important that potential LAGs highlight where their local development strategy addresses these issues. Not all of the issues below will need to be considered only those which are relevant to the local area covered by the LAG. Competitiveness and Growth Baseline data suggests that although rural areas in the North West account for 40% of the region’s businesses and 25% of its workforce, its contribution to GVA is only around 23% of the regional total. This suggests an abundance of poorly performing enterprises in rural area. This must be addressed if we are to create the conditions for sustainable growth. Rural areas have a higher proportion of SMEs, tend to have more lower paid workers with a higher proportion of seasonal employment and significantly more multiple employment. There is a need for on-going investment, increased innovation, growth of a higher level skills base and an enduring level of entrepreneurship.
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Climate Change and Energy By 2080s it is predicted that the average annual daily temperature could increase by up to 4 degrees centigrade and seasonal rainfall patterns will change. Rural activity should therefore move towards making a significant contribution to achieving a low carbon and well adapted region. Better land management, increased energy efficiency and new diversified enterprises focussed around bio-fuels and bio-energy croups could contribute to reducing carbon emissions. RDPE offers rural businesses and communities the opportunity to take up various forms of renewable energy. Resource Protection Protecting our natural environmental resources is of primary importance in protecting environment-dependent jobs and is important to creating new business opportunities for the future. One resource which comes under consistent pressure in rural areas is the network of waters and waterways. A key challenge for rural areas is the true adoption of sustainable farming and land use that reduces water pollution, increases efficiency in water use, combats soil erosion and protects the region’s locked up carbon “sinks”. Sustainable Agriculture The agricultural sector has to compete in an increasingly globalised market and with the change in focus under the Common Agricultural Policy from supporting output to sustainable land management, environmental stewardship and customer service, farmers will need to adopt a new culture of co-operation and collaboration. The challenge is to maintain an economically viable farming and food sector which s focused on markets and seeks to maximise environmental gain. The organic sector in the North West has responded well to these changes but further support is required to achieve economic viability. Forestry and Woodlands Although the North West has 700 square miles of Community Forest, we have relatively low woodland cover at 6.8% of land cover. Nearly half of the resource is under-managed. Only 61% of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest are in favourable/recovering condition and Ancient Woodlands, which covers 1%, are in need of protection and active management to restore their biodiversity value. There is particular opportunity to add value to current forestry or farming operations through diversification, particularly for micro-businesses. Biodiversity, Landscape and Heritage Approximately 29% of the region is subject to statutory landscape designation. These rich landscape and biodiversity assets provide an essential resource for public enjoyment and recreation, and underpin much of the tourism activity in the region. Of major significance are the region’s upland areas. Ensuring support for these public goods constitutes a major challenge for the region.
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Skills, Knowledge Transfer and Capacity Building For the agricultural and forestry communities there is a need for framers and land managers to broaden their skills base to include sustainable approaches to land management, a greater level of understanding of information and communication technologies and an in-depth approach to business management and marketing. There is also a more general need to build and develop leadership within the rural communities, to increase levels of vocational training and deliver an increase in levels of knowledge transfer from areas such as animal health and welfare and resource efficiency.
Measures Projects funded by LAGs will need to be based upon the eligible activities or measures which can be funded as set out in the RDPE. RIP partners have selected the measures for use in the North West that they feel will best meet with regional priorities and these are displayed in table I below. Furthermore, sub-regional rural partnerships have identified which measures will fit with the particular needs of their sub-regions. Potential LAGs will therefore need to consult the appropriate sub-regional strategy for details of the chosen measures. Indicative Measure Description % of the number Regional Leader Budget Measures for the Implementation of the Local Development Strategy by Leader partnerships 111 Vocational training and information actions 114 Use of advisory services Setting up of farm management, relief and advisory 115 services 121 Modernisation of agricultural holdings 30 122 Improving the economic value of forests 123 Adding value to agricultural and forestry products 124 Co-operation for the development of new products Infrastructure related to the development & 125 adaptation of agriculture & forestry 311 Diversification into non-agricultural activities 312 Support creation & development of micro-enterprises 313 Encouragement of tourism 321 Basic services 53 323 Conservation an upgrading of rural heritage 331 Training and information Skills acquisition, animation & implementation of local 341 development strategies Measures to support capacity-building and running costs of the LAG to deliver
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the local development strategy 2 421 Implementing co-operation projects Running the LAG and developing LAG skills for 15 431 delivery of Leader Table 1: Measures for the implementation of the Leader Approach in the North West
Business Support Simplification Programme In the 2006 Budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer challenged the whole of the public sector to simplify business support by reducing the number of schemes available to no more than 100. The aim is to make it easier for business to access support; use public money more efficiently by reducing the amount spent on administration; and ensure value for money by measuring the effect of business support on the economy and on public policy goals. The Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) is leading the cross-government Business Support Simplification Programme on behalf of the Treasury. DBERR have recently conducted a 12-week consultation on the future proposals for business support arrangements. From this consultation they have produced an initial response which explains the business support portfolio and outlines the next steps, including some of the issues expected to be picked up in the Formal Government Response to the consultation, due to be published on 14 December 2007. As part of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review and Pre-Budget Report announcements, further details of the Business Support Simplification Programme have emerged, including confirmation of: (a) the portfolio of 17 product areas; from which publicly-funded business support will be provided in the future (b) Confirmation of Business Link as the primary access channel and the intention to being together other Government information, diagnosis and brokerage services for business into Business Link such as the merger of Train to Gain skills brokerage into the Business Link Information, Diagnosis and Brokerage service. To view the whole suite of these 17 products including eligibility criteria visit the NWDA website at www.nwda.co.uk/simplifyingbusiness In the North West, the NWDA and Government Office are acting as regional facilitators and assisting in a range of communication activity on the programme. The key to which is the building of a partnership of regional organisations, local government and business to create a shared framework for business support in the future. This will ultimately provide better services for the business community to benefit the region’s economy as a whole. Further details can be found on the NWDA website at www.nwda.co.uk/simplifyingbusiness ).
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It is critical that any business support measures supported by the RDPE, whether at the regional, sub-regional or local level, are consistent with the principles of the Business Support Simplification Programme which include: • Strong evidence of the customer demand for such business support must be provided. • A compelling assessment of the market failure requiring public sector intervention must be shown. • Business Link should be used to provide access for businesses to any such support, and their client management system must be adopted for use. • Any proposed business support activities must be developed within and aligned to the emerging framework for simplified business support – this framework will cover products, marketing & branding and delivery & procurement arrangements. In the case of the Leader approach, LAGs must demonstrate in their local development strategy that their proposed activities are consistent with the principles of the Business Support Simplification Programme and RDPE must deliver integrated programmes which avoid overlap and duplication.
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4. The Leader Selection Process in the North West In order to comply with the Rural Development Regulation, the procedure for selecting LAGs, must be open to all rural areas and ensure competition and transparency. The selection process will be consistent across all of the Regional Development Agencies in England and the Defra have produced national criteria. However, each region will have the ability to apply regional flexibility to the national criteria in order to ensure regional priorities highlighted in the North West RIP are met.
The Process in the North West In the North West, LAGs will be selected using a two-stage process. Important key dates are shown in table II below. Date
Stage
Supporting Documents/Comments
First Call for Applications 1 August Launch First Expression 2007 of Interest (EOI) Round 29 August 2007 at 1700 hours 25 September 2007
Deadline for submission of EOI
w/c 1 October 2007 14 January 2008 at 1700 hours
Feedback to Applicants
Late January and February 2008
Regional Panel considers EOIs received
Deadline for receipt of local development strategies from applicants invited to proceed to full applications stage Technical Appraisal of Applications received
March 2008
Regional Panel considers Applications
April 2008
Successful LAGs begin activity
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Leader EOI Pro-forma and accompanying guidance note RIP Leader Prospectus Completed EOI to be sent to Ruth Parker, NWDA RIP RDPE National Leader Selection Criteria Local Development Strategy submitted to Ruth Parker, NWDA
RIP RDPE EU Regulations Regional Leader Selection Criteria RIP RDPE EU Regulations Regional Leader Selection Criteria
Second Call for Applications 10 December Launch Second EOI 2007 Round 14 January 2008 at 1700 hours w/c 28 January 2008
Deadline for submission of EOI
w/c 4 February 2008 19 May 2008 at 1700 hours
Feedback to Applicants
Late May and June 2008
Regional Panel considers EOIs received
Deadline for receipt of local development strategies from applicants invited to proceed to full applications stage Technical Appraisal of Applications received
July 2008
Regional Panel considers Applications
1 August 2008
Successful LAGs begin activity
Leader EOI Pro-forma and accompanying guidance note RIP Leader Prospectus Completed EOI to be sent to Ruth Parker, NWDA RIP RDPE National Leader Selection Criteria
Local Development Strategy submitted to Ruth Parker, NWDA
RIP RDPE EU Regulations Regional Leader Selection Criteria RIP RDPE EU Regulations Regional Leader Selection Criteria
Table II: Timetable for Leader in the North West
Expression of Interest Stage The first stage involves the submission of an Expression of Interest (EOI) pro-forma. The EOI should be completed by all groups wishing to apply to deliver RDPE activity using the Leader approach in the North West. The EOI will need to include the following information: • • •
details of the geographic area to be covered a description of the key issues which you intend to address and how you will address these the rationale for using the approach
The EOI pro-forma can be downloaded from the NWDA’s website at www.nwda.co.uk/rdpe. A guidance note is also available to assist interested groups with the completion of the pro-forma. The guidance note should also be read in conjunction with the North West RIP which sets out the strategic 15
direction for the RDPE in the North West and the sub-regional strategies prepared by sub-regional rural partnerships which contain the priorities for RDPE funding in their sub-region. A copy of the RIP and the sub-regional strategies can be downloaded from the website at www.nwda.co.uk/rdpe. The EOI pro-forma will not be scored but qualitatively assessed against the national selection criteria details of which are at appendix 1. A Regional Panel made up of regional representatives will assess the EOIs received within the timescale and will make one of two recommendations as follows: • •
The application is unlikely to meet the national criteria for the delivery of the Leader approach and is therefore not advised to progress to the full applications stage The applications is well substantiated and is therefore invited to progress to the full applications stage taking into account any feedback and general comments from the panel
All applicants will receive feedback to enable them to decide whether to continue to the full applications stage. If a group intends to make a full application then they must first submit an EOI. All completed EOI pro-formas must be clearly marked on the envelope “EXPRESSION OF INTEREST – LEADER” and be sent to the following address: Ruth Parker Senior Project Delivery Manager Northwest Regional Development Agency Unit 1 Enterprise House Gillan Way Penrith Cumbria CA11 9BP EOIs received after the deadline will not be reviewed by the panel and will therefore not be able to progress to the full applications stage. The submission of an EOI is no guarantee that your full application will be approved.
Full Applications Stage The second stage of the LAG selection process involves the submission of a full application which will include the local development strategy. Funding for capacity-building may be available to assist new and existing groups develop their strategies. Local development strategies will need to demonstrate how they will: •
contribute to the achievement of the priorities set out in the North West RIP and other regional strategies such as the NWDA’s Regional
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• • •
Economic Strategy, Regional Rural Delivery Framework, the Regional Forestry Framework and the Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy address the measures and themes of the RDPE as detailed in the North West RIP ensure integration across the three RDPE axes and the integration of sustainable development principles Complement and where appropriate add value to wider economic development strategies such as the strategies of sub-regional rural partnerships, Local Area Agreements and Local Strategic Partnership priorities.
Local Development Strategies will therefore need to include: • • • • • • • •
details of the membership of the LAG including sectors covered and whether these are public, private or voluntary the overall objectives of the strategy and how these fit with the RDPE and the North West RIP a definition of the geographic area to be covered including wards and parishes. The description of the area will need to include an analysis of the socio-economic and environmental characteristics of the area details of how the LAG will achieve integration across all three axes details of the organisation that will undertake the accountable body role, how segregation of duties and financial issues will be managed a robust description of the planned activities and projects a demonstration of the need derived from an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the area concerned an indication of the targets from the RDPE that the LAG intends to deliver through the projects described above
Completed local development strategies must be clearly marked on the envelope “FULL APPLICATION – LEADER” and sent to the following address: Ruth Parker Senior Project Delivery Manager Northwest Regional Development Agency Unit 1 Enterprise House Gillan Way Penrith Cumbria CA11 9BP Full applications received after the deadline date will not be reviewed by the panel and it therefore in the interest of the LAG to ensure that the application is received by the NWDA within the published timescales. Following the deadline for the submission of the local development strategy, NWDA staff will undertake a technical appraisal of the applications received. Prospective LAGs may be contacted for clarification during technical
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appraisal. The Regional Panel will then sit to select the successful LAGs who will be invited to implement their local development strategies.
What are the selection criteria? Guidance received from Defra has identified a number of criteria to be used when selecting LAGs which will be applied across all regions. These are: •
appropriateness of the partnership
•
coherence of the area
•
quality of the proposed Local Development Strategy
•
financial and administrative capacity
•
fit with National Programme objectives
•
integration of sustainable development principles
•
commitment to integration across the objectives of the three axes
•
commitment to co-operation
Please refer to appendix 1 for details of how the Regional Panel will assess the full applications using the national criteria. This document highlights what a prospective LAG must include in their local development strategy.
The Regional Panel The panel will be chaired by the Chair of the Rural Affairs Forum and consist of representatives from the following organisations: • • • • • • •
Natural England Forestry Commission North West Regional Assembly Northwest Regional Development Agency Regional Skills Partnership Environment Agency Government Office for the North West (GONW)
GONW will be present on behalf of Defra to assure the process follows the published criteria.
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What about Cross-regional boundary application? NWDA will support cross regional border applications for coherent LAG areas on the following basis: • •
•
• • •
•
Should partnerships be considering cross border applications, they should contact all the RDAs involved at the earliest opportunity to discuss their intentions and raise initial awareness When RDAs are aware of the intention they will undertake to support applications by electing a single lead RDA to be the lead contact for multi-region applications, although there will need to be operational contact as relevant between potential applicants and each RDA involved. Applicants will be asked to submit an EOI to the lead region, where possible. The EOI must include information which clearly meets the individual priorities identified by each relevant RIP and provide the information requested by relevant RDAs. RDAs may take a phased approach to selection where applications cross borders. A decision panel for multi-region applications will include all relevant RDAs as well as members of regional partners. Applicants should be aware that the focus in different regions may be different. It is possible that multi-region applications may not meet the criteria required for every region covered by their application but that will not stop them securing funding from the other regions. Applicants may wish to create a Single Strategy which will achieve different things in different regions to meet regional priorities. Applicants should be aware that approval by one region will not necessarily indicate overall approval of their application Where LAGs are successful in a multi-region bid, the RDAs will work to ensure that the administrative arrangements are simplified as much as possible through a lead region.
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5. Funding for Local Action Groups Budget Profile Proposed LAGs will need to consider their budget profile as part of their local development strategy. Financial tables are provided at appendix 3 which must be completed by the applicant and submitted with the local development strategy. These financial tables cover the period from 2008 to 2013. Experience from previous Leader programmes suggests that it can take some time for a LAG, particularly new LAGs, to become established and begin delivering activity. It is therefore suggested that LAGs take the following phases into account when completing the financial tables: •
• •
Initial start-up phase – this involves the development of the LAG and bringing the activities within the local development strategy to fruition. In other words, this stage will also involve project appraisal, selection and contracting. Spend during this stage is therefore likely to be low. Main delivery stage – this is where the majority of the activities within the local development strategy will take place and therefore spend is likely to be relatively high. Closure stage – this is where the number of new projects supported is likely to be low and the main body of activities will be coming to a close. In this stage spend will begin to taper.
Appraisal In appraising applications for grant aid at the local level LAGs will be expected to use application forms produced by the NWDA to ensure that all projects are appraised and assessed consistently. LAGs should therefore include draft selection criteria as part of their local development strategy for assessment by the Regional Panel. Grants over a threshold to be determined by the NWDA must be referred back to the NWDA for approval. A requirement of EU Regulations is that there is a clear separation of duties between those who develop, appraise, approve and monitor projects. It is imperative that prospective LAGs clarifies how duties will be separated in their local development strategy.
Eligibility and Restrictions All successful LAGs must abide by the rules and restrictions laid down by the relevant EU Regulations and the national RDPE. This means that: •
all LAGs must ensure that the beneficiary is eligible for support as defined by the relevant measure
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• • • • • • •
all LAGs must ensure that the constituent costs of the project are eligible as defined by the relevant measure all projects supported must be compliant with State Aid Regulations all projects supported by the LAG must abide by the maximum percentage grant (intervention) rate determined by the measure under which activity is supported all projects funded should be given the minimum grant necessary to make the project viable all other options for delivery and sources of funding have been considered and the applicant can demonstrate that RDPE funding is most appropriate all activities must demonstrate that they are sustainable both in terms of resource use and wider benefits to the community all LAGs must demonstrate that the activities that they wish to support via their local development strategy are consistent with the themes of the North West RIP and the RDPE
Match Funding As part the local development strategy, LAGs will have to demonstrate a commitment to finding other sources of funding to match the funds allocated from the RDPE. The intervention rate will vary according to the activity and the measure via which it is supported. Many of the measures require match funding from private sources, whilst others can, in certain circumstances, be supported by the wider community. As the RDPE is already “matched” at the national level with funding from both Defra and the EU, public sector funding is not eligible as match funding except in substitution for Leader funds. It should be noted however that funding from Voluntary Modulation is not “matched” at the national level and any LAGs allocated this type of funding would have to bear this in mind. Voluntary sector funding which was originally from the public sector is not eligible as private sector match funding. However, where voluntary sector funding comes from funding generated from the local community or commercial activities then this would be eligible. Defra is in the process of preparing Questions and Answers to cover the categorisation of other sources of funding. LAGs are therefore advised to check the Defra website listed at the end of this document on a regular basis for this guidance.
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6. Useful Contacts and Links Northwest Regional Development Agency Contact: Ruth Parker or Louise Bell, NWDA Penrith Telephone: 01768 861323 or 01768 861340 E-mail: ruth.parker@nwda.co.uk or louise.bell@nwda.co.uk Natural England Contact: Richard Lord Telephone: 0161 234 0222 E-mail: Richard.Lord@naturalengland.org.uk Forestry Commission Contact: Penny Oliver Telephone: 01768 776616 E-mail: penny.oliver@forestry.gsi.gov.uk Business Link North West Contact: Tom Bell (Cumbria) Telephone: 07909 893868 E-mail: tom.bell@businesslinknw.co.uk Contact: Phiip Ambler (Regional) Telephone: E-mail: Philip.Ambler@businesslinknw.co.uk
Sub-Regional Contacts Cheshire Rural Partnership Contact: Filip Prevc Telephone: 01270 619077 E-mail: filip.prevc@cheshire.gov.uk ICEP, Merseyside Contact: Jonathan Jackson Telephone: 0151 477 4012 E-mail: jonathan.jackson@knowsley.gov.uk Cumbria Partners Contact: Ian Hill Telephone: 01900 325922 E-mail: ian@rstcumbria.co.uk Lancashire Economic Partnership Contact: Steven Brown Telephone: 01254 300361 E-mail: steveb@lancashire-ep.org.uk
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Manchester Enterprises Limited Contact: Christine Westcott Telephone: 0161 237 4104 E-mail: Christine.westcott@manchester-enterprises.co.uk
Links For details of the national programme: www.defra.gov.uk/erdp/rdp07_13/progdocs.htm For a Question and Answer guide to the new RDPE: www.defra.gov.uk/erdp/rdp07_13/qa.htm For details of the North West RIP and sub-regional strategies: www.nwda.co.uk/rdpe For the Regional Economic Strategy: www.nwda.co.uk/res For the Sustainable Farming and Food Regional Delivery Plan: www.gonw.gov.uk/gonw/Environment/Rural/FarmingFood/ For the Regional Forestry Framework: www.iwood.org.uk For Natural England’s Strategic Objectives: www.naturalengalnd.org.uk/about.default.htm For the North West Rural Delivery Framework: www.gos.gov.uk/gonw/docs
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Appendix 1: The Leader approach - Regional Selection Criteria CRITERION
SECTION HEADING OF LOCAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY Appropriateness of the Name of the Local Action partnership Group The partnership’s purpose is to Contact Details deliver an integrated rural development strategy. It is therefore important that, as well as satisfying the Membership of the LAG private/public sector split in terms of membership, the partnership has a broad representation across social, environmental and economic interests. The application must provide sufficient assurances that the partnership can define and implement a development strategy for the area (or has the potential to do so with Background and Structure appropriate capacity building of the LAG support).
WHAT THE APPLICATION WILL NEED TO DETAIL Provide the name chosen for the Local Action Group (LAG) Provide the contact details of the person who is dealing with the application. This person may be contacted following the submission of the local development strategy if further clarification is required. It is therefore imperative that this person will be available during that period. It is important that the membership of your LAG represents interests from various social, economic and environmental sectors within your proposed LAG area. The members must either be based within the area or conduct significant related activity within the area. In this section, you must therefore provide details of the membership of the LAG including any additional members who have joined since the submission of your Expression of Interest (EOI). At a minimum this must include: • Names of members • The organisations which the members represent, including a short description of the work of the organisation and how they will contribute to the LAG • The sector which the member represents In this section you must provide details of the previous experience of LAG members in delivering similar activities and projects and demonstrate that the proposed structure of the LAG will enable clear and effective decision-making to take place. Here you must include: • Details of any previous delivery experience, skills and qualifications of the proposed LAG members in terms of rural development activity • A chart showing the proposed structure of the LAG denoting the responsibilities of different structures or committees, if appropriate • Details of how you have consulted with the wider local community in drawing up your local development strategy and how you will ensure their continued involvement during its implementation • Details of any capacity-building support which will be required in order to 24
Decision-making
Coherence of the Area The area must be sufficiently coherent from a geographical, economic and social point of view. The application should be precise on the geographical area to be covered, including wards and parishes.
Geographic Area
Quality of the Local Development Strategy There should be socioeconomic and environmental
Socio-economic and Environmental Analyses
implement your local development strategy At the decision-making level, representatives from economic, social and environmental interests, as well as other representatives of civil society, such as farmers, rural women, young people and their associations, must make up at least 50% of the local partnership, i.e. members of the voluntary, community and private sectors. Consequently, representatives of the public sector, such as elected councillors, local government officers, civil servants and representatives of statutory bodies and agencies must make up no more than half of the decision-making structure. Here you must include details of: • The structure of your decision-making body • The operation of the decision-making body, for example, will any decisions be delegated to sub-groups of the wider decision-making body • The processes that will be used to ensure that conflicts of interest are avoided To meet this criterion it is essential that you are able to demonstrate that the proposed area offers sufficient critical mass of human, financial and physical resources to support a viable local development strategy. The population of the proposed area should be no less than 5,000 and no more than 150,000 inhabitants and must constitute a socially cohesive territory sharing common traditions, a local identity and a sense of place. The following information should therefore be included in your local development strategy: • A map of your proposed area for delivery of the Leader approach • A list of wards and parishes covered in the proposed area • A full explanation of how the proposed Leader area will meet the minimum requirements including population limits, cohesiveness and commonality • How your proposals will ensure that the strategy will have an impact on the whole of the rural area. This will be particularly important when the area covered includes one or more market towns for example. • Provide details of how you will identify and address any issues that might arise from you straddling administrative or regional boundaries In this section, please provide detailed socio-economic and environmental analyses to demonstrate the need for intervention in your proposed LAG area. This must include an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) within the area. If you have any similar experience of running 25
analyses, with objectives and proposed actions that follow clearly from the evidence. Aims Objectives
Matrices of Proposed Actions
Fit with key Regional Strategies
rural development activities or have been a LAG within the previous Leader programmes, then detail how you will build on the activities which you have undertaken and avoid the “more of the same� approach. Here you must indicate the aim or aims of the local development strategy. If your LAG has a thematic approach or priority target group or groups, the aims must reflect this. Following on from the aims of the local development strategy, you must identify the main objectives. The objectives must be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound and show how the local development strategy will contribute to the socio-economic development of the proposed area. For each measure that your LAG wishes to deliver, you must complete a common measure template providing details of the activities to be implemented, the total cost of the activity, the outputs of the activity and the type of support. Each activity must be clearly broken down into separate headings as demonstrated on the template. Details of the measures to be delivered in the North West via the Leader approach are detailed within the main guidance of this document. A copy of the common measure template can be found at appendix 2. As highlighted in the main document each approved LAG will be expected to use application forms produced by the NWDA to ensure that all projects are appraised and assessed consistently. It is advisable that LAGs prepared a set of draft project selection criteria to be submitted with the local development strategy for consideration by the Regional Panel. The projects and activities proposed by a LAG within their local development strategy must demonstrate clear linkages with key regional strategies to ensure resources are maximised by adding value and avoiding duplication where appropriate. Key regional and local strategies should be utilised by the LAG to identify need and highlight opportunities. The RDPE funding administered by the NWDA is aligned with sub-regional strategies produced by sub-regional rural partnerships, which in turn link to both the Agency’s RES and the North West RIP. You will need to ensure that your local development strategy is aligned to the sub-regional strategy that covers you sub-region or sub-regions. All of the sub-regional strategies are available on the NWDA website at www.nwda.co.uk/rdpe. In this section, you must: 26
•
Financial and Administrative Capacity The strategy will need to demonstrate that appropriate resource exists to implement the strategy. There must be clear evidence supporting the partnership’s suitability and competence, including: the capacity of the individuals; and its ability to administer public funds and implement the strategy.
Financial Capacity
explain how your local development strategy will contribute to subregional strategies • explain how your local development strategy will contribute to other regional strategies such as the Regional Rural Delivery Framework, the Forestry Framework, Natural England Strategic Objectives, the RES and the Refreshed Delivery Plan for the implementation of the Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy in the North West. • outline how you intend to draw upon other sources of funding and explain how you will complement rather than duplicate activities funded from other sources Potential LAGs must demonstrate that they have the competence and capacity to finance their local development strategy. In this section please include details of: • the Accountable body including their role and responsibilities in the running of the LAG and their previous experience of undertaking this role (please also attach a letter from the accountable body on headed paper showing their agreement to undertake this role) • the role which any other organisations will play in the management of the LAG, such as monitoring of projects, management of the budget, secretariat support or employment of staff • your financial monitoring and evaluation systems, including examples where appropriate The realism and appropriateness of the total costs of your local development strategy will be taken into consideration when assessing your application. The local development strategy must therefore include a detailed financial plan which demonstrates how the LAG will lever in match funding. The balance between management and administration costs and costs for the implementation of the projects within the local development strategy will be taken into account when determining value for money. The cost of similar projects from other potential LAGs may be compared to judge value for money. Templates for the financial tables are provided within appendix 3 to this document. These templates will show: • the total cost of the local development strategy, broken down into Leader funding and other sources of match funding 27
•
Administrative Capacity
Staff Structure of the LAG Equality and Diversity
Communications and Publicity Strategy
Fit with RDPE Objectives Partnerships must show how their development plan contributes to the overall
Fit with RDPE Objectives
the allocation of funding for the implementation of projects within the local development strategy, management and administration costs and costs for co-operation • the extent and appropriateness of in-kind contributions • the extent to which the LAG has demonstrated that the level of grant sought is the minimum required for the successful implementation of the local development strategy All successful LAGs must produce an annual financial plan providing details of progress to date and future projections. Defra is in the process of preparing questions and answers covering the categorisation of other sources of match funding so Lags are advised to check the Defra website regularly. Potential LAGs must demonstrate that they have the competence and capacity to administer their local development strategy. In this section please explain how you will ensure the necessary staffing support to implement the local development strategy including full details of administration costs (including salaries). Also detail procedures for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the local development strategy as a whole and projects within this. With your application please attach an organisation chart showing the proposed staffing capacity of the LAG with draft job descriptions and person specifications (showing proposed salary ranges). In this section, please provide detailed plans of how you will ensure equality and diversity are central to the operation of the LAG, including how the projects supported will provide benefits to a wide range of beneficiaries. LAGs must attach (or give commitment to develop) robust policies on equality and diversity which will be applied throughout all of the activities supported by the LAG to ensure that no-one is discriminated against either deliberately or inadvertently. In this section please identify your Communications and Publicity Strategy taking into account how you will publicise the LAG, how you will encourage project applications, how you will inform the public of the results of application rounds and how you will ensure that projects acknowledge the receipt of EU, Leader and Defra funding for their projects. You will need to ensure that the activities that you wish to deliver in your local development strategy contribute towards the achievement of the objectives of the RDPE in a locally tailored manner. Please therefore explain how your local development strategy will: 28
• •
objectives of the RDPE.
Fit with Regional Implementation Plan Each region has the flexibility to target the use of the Leader approach through a regional fit criterion. In the North West linkage to the RIP was felt to be the most salient criterion to use. Partnerships must show how their local development strategy will support the delivery of the RIP in the North West.
Fit with Regional Implementation Plan
Fit with Regional Priorities
Integration of Sustainable Sustainable Development of Development Principles the Area Proposed strategies should take account of the need to: o support and enhance the social, economic and environmental sustainability of the area to be covered; o
ensure that resources will be used in
contribute to the national objectives of the national programme how that contribution will be monitored against both qualitative and quantitative baseline data The local development strategy must demonstrate how they will contribute to the four regional thematic areas identified in the North West RIP as follows: • Making farming and forestry more competitive and sustainable • Enhancing the environment and countryside • Enhancing opportunities in rural areas • Skills, knowledge transfer and capacity building The local development strategy must clearly demonstrate how it will promote the regional delivery priorities for the Leader approach in the North West RIP. The priorities are as follows: • An ability to comply with Leader principles and regulation • Focus on tackling rural disadvantage • Targeting on specific geographic areas, for example, lagging districts, pockets of deprivation • Track record of delivery or work with experienced delivery agency • Potential to level in additional resources • Ability to tailor interventions to local need based on experience • Demonstrate commitment to integration across the Axes Please cross-reference to other headings within the local development strategy where appropriate. One of the statutory duties of the NWDA is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development in the UK. Sustainable Development is therefore a central principle of the RDPE and cuts across all the objectives. The purpose of this section is to assess how the local development strategy addresses those elements of sustainable development that are not specifically addressed as key activities within the project itself. The goal of sustainable development is to enable all people to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life without compromising the quality of life of future generations. In this section you must describe: • how the local development strategy will contribute to the social, 29
such a way that options available to future generations are not impaired: strategies supported must demonstrate that they do not have any significant negative environmental impact.
Resource Use
Commitment to Integration across the Objectives of the Three Axes Proposed strategies will need to demonstrate how the partnership has the expertise to achieve this integration and what it would mean in practice.
Integration
Commitment to Cooperation It is not a regulatory requirement for all LAGs to carry out co-operation but Article 37.4 of the Implementing Regulation states that Member States “shall seek to ensure that a priority is given to the selection of local action groups which have integrated co-operation into their Local Development Strategies.” Co-operation
Co-operation
economic and environmental sustainability of the area • how you will ensure the long-term sustainability of the activities proposed within the local development strategy post 2013 In this section please explain how the projects supported by the LAG will contribute to the protection of the region’s environment and minimise resource use and maximise resource efficiency. Also give details of how projects will be encouraged to sustainably produce, procure and/or consume materials, goods or services. If a project will have any significant negative environmental impacts, please provide details along with steps which will be taken to mitigate these. It is very important that although LAGs will not deliver activities funded through axis 2 of the programme the proposed activities within the local development strategy integrate with activities undertaken by the Forestry Commission and Natural England through this axis. In this section you must therefore explain: • how you propose to bring about integration between activities supported through the three axes, including examples of integrated projects which will be supported by the LAG • how integrated projects will be developed which meet local needs • how innovation will be supported and encouraged • how the LAG will ensure that activities funded by the LAG will integrate with other local project and initiatives All successful LAGs will be expected to demonstrate a commitment to undertaking some form of co-operative activity. Co-operation should be based on target groups or thematic actions specified within the objectives of your local development strategy. In this section you should therefore provide detailed plans for themes or areas of activity which will be developed in conjunction with other LAGs in the UK or other member states.
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could be with another group in England, in another part of the UK or in another Member State. Co-operation may take the form of a specific project, or complementary actions such as joint marketing by Leader groups that share a common interest. An example may be the development of joint tourism initiatives based on a shared cultural heritage.
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Appendix 2: Common Measure Template For The Leader Approach RDPE Measure Code Rationale for Intervention
e.g. 111 – Vocational training and information actions
A short text justifying the needs for and the benefits of the intervention through the RDPE linking to the available evidence base. This also needs to demonstrate consistency with both the draft RDPE and the North West RIP.
A concise statement giving details of what the intervention is intended to achieve. Objectives should follow the Objectives of the Intervention SMART criteria and also should demonstrate consistency with both the draft RDPE and the North West RIP.
Allocation (%) Equal Opportunities
Sustainable Development
Percentage allocation of funding to delivered through this measure. To be cumulated on an axis basis therefore total percentage allocation to axis 1, for example, should total 100% across the measures. Give details of the approach to be taken for the whole measure in terms of equality of opportunity.
Give details of the approach to be taken for the whole measure in terms of sustainable development.
ACTIVITY ONE 32
Description of Proposed Activity
A short description of the scope of the proposed activity. If you have more than one activity which you intend to deliver through this measure please enter details of your second activity below.
Type of Support
Give details of what form the support will take, e.g. grants to individuals, including any specific exclusions.
Beneficiaries
Give details of the beneficiaries the activity will support, e.g. individuals, micro-enterprises, SMEs or training providers.
Total Cost
Give details of the total cost of the activity including sources of match funding.
Intervention Rate (%) Coverage Outputs: Indicators and Targets
Give details of the proposed intervention rate to support this activity.
Delivery Area
Indicate whether this activity could be delivered either regionally or sub-regionally.
Demarcation
Give details of whether this activity could be delivered via any other funding stream such as ESF or ERDF.
Provide details on the coverage of support, e.g. spatial or thematic targeting. Provide details of the indicators and targets from the draft RDPE which the activity will deliver.
ACTIVITY TWO Description of
A short description of the scope of the proposed activity. If you have more than two activities which you intend to 33
Proposed Activity
deliver through this measure please use the blank template. If only one activity is to be delivered through this measure please ignore this section.
Type of Support
Give details of what form the support will take, e.g. grants to individuals, including any specific exclusions.
Beneficiaries
Give details of the beneficiaries the activity will support, e.g. individuals, micro-enterprises, SMEs or training providers.
Total Cost
Give details of the total cost of the activity including sources of match funding.
Intervention Rate (%) Coverage Outputs: Indicators and Targets
Give details of the proposed intervention rate to support this activity.
Delivery Area
Indicate whether this activity could be delivered either regionally or sub-regionally.
Demarcation
Give details of whether this activity could be delivered via any other funding stream such as ESF or ERDF.
Provide details on the coverage of support, e.g. spatial or thematic targeting. Provide details of the indicators and targets from the draft RDPE which the activity will deliver.
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Appendix 3: Templates for Financial Tables Please indicate as near as possible the total costs that will be incurred by your LAG over the Programme period. Only costs eligible for Leader activity should be shown. Management and administration costs are limited to a maximum of 20% of the total allocation for the implementation of the local development strategy. In order to achieve value for money in the North West, management and administration costs are allocated as 15% of the total cost for the strategy. Any proposed LAG with management and administration costs over 15% would therefore have to make a justified case for this. It is recognised that new groups may initially have higher management costs and lower expenditure on project activity but over the lifetime of the programme, management and administration costs will need to be kept to minimum levels. It is important that LAGs are able to demonstrate value for money in terms of management and administration costs.
2008
2009
2010
2011
Indicative Project Cost – Axis 1 Indicative Project Cost Axis III Indicative Management and Administration Costs Indicative Costs for Cooperation Projects Average Grant Rate (%) Table 1: Total Eligible Costs per Annum
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2012
2013
TOTAL
In table 2 below, please indicate as near as possible your quarterly budget for the first year of operation of the LAG. Use the space underneath the headings to include more detail on each of the headline budget categories. Additional lines can be included in the table where necessary. 2008 Quarter 1 April to June
Quarter 2 July to September
2009 Quarter 3 October to December
Total Project Costs Axis 1
Total Project Costs Axis 3
Total Management and Administration Costs
Total Costs for Co-operation Projects
TOTAL COST Table 2: Total Eligible Costs by Quarter – First Year of Operation of LAG 36
Quarter 4 January to March
In table 3 below, please indicate as near as possible the level of funding that you plan to attract from the different sources shown below. If you propose to use any in-kind match funding show this on the separate line provided. Funding Source RDPE – The Leader Approach (Axis 4) Public Sector Match Funding Private Sector Match Funding In-kind Match Funding
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
TOTAL
TOTAL Table 3: Total Project Costs per Annum by Funding Source
In table 4 below, please indicate as near as possible the total costs for the implementation of your local development strategy. Total Eligible Expenditure (a)
Proposed Average rate of Grant (b)
Total Amount of Leader Funding Requested (a x b)
Implementation of local projects Co-operation: Within England Within UK Within Europe Running Costs Table 4: Total Costs for the Implementation of the Local Development Strategy for the Programme Period
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Appendix 4: Annex 1 Products as defined by the Treaty of Rome One of the measures within the national programme is about adding value to agricultural and forestry products (measure 123). This measure can only be used for processing and marketing of Annex 1 products, which are listed below, that are eligible for support through the RDPE. If you are unsure whether your product fits into any of categories listed please contact NWDA to discuss your case further. No. in the Brussels nomenclature Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 05.04 05.15 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Ex 13.03 Chapter 15 15.01 15.02 15.03 15.04 15.07 15.12
Description of product Live animals Meat and edible meat offal Fish, crustaceans and molluscs Dairy produce; birds eggs; natural honey Guts, bladders and stomachs of animals (other than fish), whole and pieces thereof Animal products not elsewhere specified or included; dead animals of Chapter 1 or Chapter 3, unfit for human consumption Live trees and other plants; bulbs; roots and the like; cut flowers and ornamental foliage Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers Edible fruit and nuts; peel of melons or citrus fruit Coffee, tea and spices excluding maté (heading No 0903) Cereals Products of the milling industry; malt and starches; gluten; inulin Oil seeds and oleaginous fruit; miscellaneous grains, seeds and fruit; industrial and medical plants; straw and fodder Pectin Lard and other rendered pig fat’ rendered poultry fat Unrendered fats of bovine cattle, sheep or goats; tallow (including “premier jus”) produced from those fats Lard stearin, oleostearin and tallow stearin; lard oil, oleooil and tallow oil, not emulsified or mixed or prepared in any way Fats and oils. Of fish and marine mammals, whether or not refined Fixed vegetable oils, fluid or solid, crude, refined or purified Animal or vegetable fats and oils, hydrogenated, whether
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15.13 15.17 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 17.01 17.02 17.03 17.051 Chapter 18 18.01 18.02 Chapter 20 Chapter 22 22.04 22.05 22.07 Ex22.081 Ex22.091
Ex22.101 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 24.01 Chapter 45 45.01 Chapter 54 54.01 Chapter 57 57.01
or not refined, but not further prepared Margarine, imitation lard and other prepared edible fats Residues resulting from the treatment of fatty substances or animal or vegetable waxes Preparations of meat, of fish, of crustaceans or molluscs Beet sugar and cane sugar, solid Other sugars: sugar syrups; artificial honey (whether or not mixed with natural honey); caramel Molasses, whether or not decolourised Flavoured or coloured sugars, syrups, and molasses, but not including fruit juices containing added sugar in any proportion Cocoa beans, whole or broken, raw or roasted Cocoa shells, husks, skims and waste Preparations of vegetables, fruit or other parts of plants Grape must, in fermentation or with fermentation arrested otherwise than by the addition of alcohol Wine of fresh grapes; grape must with fermentation arrested by the addition of alcohol Other fermented beverages (for example, cider, perry and mead) Ethyl alcohol or neutral spirits, whether or not denatured, of any strength, obtained from agricultural products listed in Annex 1 to the Treaty, excluding liqueurs and other spirituous beverages and compound alcoholic preparations (known as “concentrated extracts”) Vinegar and substitutes for vinegar Residues and waste from the food industries; prepared animal fodder Unmanufactured tobacco, tobacco refuse Natural cork, unworked, crushed, granulated or ground; waste cork Flax, raw or processed but not spun; flax tow and waste (including pulled or garnetted rags) True hemp (cannabis sativa), raw or processed but not spun; tow and waste of true hemp (including pulled or garneted rags or ropes)
2
2
Heading added by Article 1 of Regulation No 7a of the Council of the European Economic Community, of 18 December 1959 (OJ 7, 30.1.1961, p71 – Special edition (English edition) 1959 to 1962, p68) 39