Pskov court did not collect from the “Crystal” 720 thousand rubles for overgrown apple orchard

The arbitration court refused the Ministry of agriculture of the Pskov region in the recovery of OOO “Crystal” subsidies in 720 thousand rubles. The money was allocated to support the production of fruit and berry plantations and care for perennial plantings, MK in Pskov was told in court.

The grant was granted by agreement between the Ministry and the society.

The work on the care of the apple orchard, which the society laid in 2023 on an area of 24 hectares, was subject to compensation.

According to the results of the inspection, the ministry decided that the result was not achieved: the garden is in unsatisfactory condition, care work is carried out improperly - weed vegetation grows in the rows and between rows, in places above the plantations themselves, which shades the plantings and slows down growth.

The Ministry demanded the return of the subsidy, and after the refusal appealed to the court.

The court found that the visual inspection was carried out fourteen months after the spring agricultural works confirmed by the act of acceptance and more than a year after the grant was granted. Given the time gap between the work and the inspection, as well as documentary evidence of the work, the court was critical of the act of visual control.

An approach based only on a visual assessment of the garden in the summer without taking into account the seasonal biological cycles of plants does not disprove the defendant's good faith.