Coupled support

Cows grazing in the pasture
Photo: BML / AMA-Bioarchiv/Dall

In order to ensure the management of extensive areas for the future, there is a headage payment on alpine pastures where cattle, sheep and goats are driven up.

The animals must spend at least 60 days per year on the alpine pasture.

All in all, funds amounting to 2.1 percent of the national ceiling, as a maximum, are intended for this purpose - around 14.5 million euro.

The coupled support is applied for by submitting the multiple area application (MAA) (tick box under “Direct payments”) and filing of the list of animals driven to the alpine pasture (“Almauftriebsliste”). In the case of bovine animals, also an alpine pasture report (“Almweidemeldung”) is required.

For more details, please see the AMA explanatory leaflet - coupled support here.