We successfully represented Halinga, one of Estonia’s largest raw milk producers, in a court dispute with PRIA (Agricultural Registers and Information Board) concerning the durability requirement of EU aid.
Focus on appropriate use
The dispute began when PRIA aimed to recover the EU agricultural aid it had granted to Halinga, on the basis of reported misuse of its dairy farm. According to PRIA, too few dairy cows were kept at the farm. PRIA noted that if at least half of the farm had been filled with dairy cows, it would have been considered appropriate use, but with the number of cows below this percentage, the requirement for appropriate use had not been met.
In solving the dispute, the decisive role was played by the European Court’s resolution in case C-580/17, whereby the court ruled that Estonia has falsely determined the launch date of requirement for appropriate use. It was therefore ruled that our client did not have to follow the requirement for appropriate use; PRIA’s resolution was overturned.
Our client team
Our client was represented in court by our counsel Karl Kask.
