On the 21st May 2008 the European Commission Information communicated by Member States regarding State aid granted under Commission as part of the EC Treaty concerning State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises active in the production of agricultural products. Two of which were directed towards the Agricultural sectors of different regions of England, United Kingdom.

The first aid scheme: Organic Conversion Information Service (OCIS)

The objective of the Organic Conversion Information Service (OCIS) is to deliver free advice to farmers and other land managers who are considering converting to organic production. The service will specifically:

• Tackle uncertainties over technical issues and misconceptions about what organic farming standards require.
• Provide conversion advice in order to help enquirers understand the mechanics of conversion and appreciate the implications of undertaking conversion in relation to their individual farm businesses.
• Raise awareness of the principles of organic farming and the public benefits that accrue to society as a result of organic management.
• Encourage and facilitate viable and good quality conversions.
• Reduce the numbers of farmers who convert where it is inappropriate for them to do so.
• Increase in the area of land being farmed organically in England.
• Raise awareness of the funds that are available under the RDPE to encourage conversion and reward farmers for carrying out effective environmental management.

under Section 1(a) of the Agriculture Act 1986, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will dispose of 330,000 pounds between 2008 and 2013.

The second aid scheme: Remote Sensing project

The Remote Sensing project is aimed at the West Midlands, England for the production of agricultural products. The primary objective will be to aid rural SME's. The objectives are specifically to:

• Raise understanding of sensing technologies for monitoring soil conditions.
• Improving decisions on planting.
• Harvesting.
• Enabling improved environmental assessment.
• Possibly switching to higher value crops.

Under the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998, Advantage West Midlands based in Birmingham will organise proceedings. The overall amount of individual aid granted to the company is 125,775 pounds between March and August 2008.