29/10/2009 (Agence Europe) - French farm minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday 29 October 2009 that the French plan to help farmers, announced by President Nicolas Sarkozy on 28 October, complies with EU rules. He said that as farm ministers, he would not be taking any decisions that did not comply with EU rules and virtually all of the aid measures had been submitted in advance to close EU legal scrutiny. The ministers said that the Commission had decided to double the direct aid available for farms, raising the €7,500 upper limit per farm over three years to €15,000 over three years. Sarkozy promised French farmers €650 million in aid, along with a billion euros worth of subsidised loans. (L.C.)