Definition "farmer" in EU legislation and its implementation into the legislation of Ukraine

The article is devoted to the issue of unification in Ukrainian legislation the definitions that are used in the European legislative acts concerning the Common Agricultural policy (hereinafter - CAP), particularly, the definition of "farmer" as a beneficiary of direct payments. There are numerous definitions of subjects providing agricultural activity according to the current Ukrainian legislation: agricultural producer, manufacturer of agricultural products, household, agricultural enterprise, subject of agro-industrial complex, agricultural cooperative, individual farm, farming enterprise, family farming enterprise, farming enterprise as an individual entrepreneur. Instead of this the European agricultural law operates with the term "farmer". In order to provide the correct and barrier-free applying of CAP provisions that would regulate the agricultural activity of Ukrainian persons, legal and natural ones, after Ukraine becomes the member of the European Union, it is necessary now to conduct a research of the concept of term "farmer" according to EU legislation and the related definitions such as "agricultural activity", "agricultural products", "active farmer", "young farmer", "new farmer". The obtained results could be taking into account in the legislative amendment process that is taking place in Ukraine due to the granted status as a candidate to the EU. Abovementioned is the aim of these thesis. In order to gain correct understanding of the term "farmer” in the EU countries the structure of the European agricultural sector is analyzed by the author. Summarizing the conducted research it is stated that due to the European approach enshrined in the CAP the term "farmer” is a general definition to all the persons that provide agricultural activity irrespectively to their size, organizational structure, type of management etc. In order to harmonize the national Ukrainian legislation to the European one there are several propositions how to amend the legislation.