Commission Regulation (EC) No 507/2008 of 6 June 2008 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1673/2000 on the common organisation of the markets in flax and hemp grown for fibre (Codified version)
Commission Regulation (EC) No 507/2008of 6 June 2008laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1673/2000 on the common organisation of the markets in flax and hemp grown for fibre(Codified version)THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1673/2000 of 27 July 2000 on the common organisation of the markets in flax and hemp grown for fibreOJ L 193, 29.7.2000, p. 16. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 953/2006 (OJ L 175, 29.6.2006, p. 1). Regulation (EC) No 1673/2000 will be replaced by Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 (OJ L 299, 16.11.2007, p. 1) as from 1 July 2008., and in particular Article 9 thereof,Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2799/98 of 15 December 1998 establishing agrimonetary arrangements for the euroOJ L 349, 24.12.1998, p. 1., and in particular Article 3 thereof,Whereas:(1)Commission Regulation (EC) No 245/2001 of 5 February 2001 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1673/2000 on the common organisation of the markets in flax and hemp grown for fibreOJ L 35, 6.2.2001, p. 18. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1913/2006 (OJ L 365, 21.12.2006, p. 52). has been substantially amended several timesSee Annex II.. In the interests of clarity and rationality the said Regulation should be codified.(2)Regulation (EC) No 1673/2000 provides inter alia for measures relating to the internal market in flax and hemp grown for fibre, comprising aid to authorised primary processors of flax and hemp straw and to farmers who have straw processed on their own account, the detailed implementing rules for which must be laid down.(3)The conditions governing the authorisation of primary processors and the obligations to be met by farmers who have straw processed on their own account must be laid down. The information that must be shown in sale/purchase contracts, processing commitments and processing contracts covering straw as referred to in Article 2(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1673/2000 must also be specified.(4)Some primary processors of flax straw mainly produce long flax fibre, together, as a sideline, with short flax fibre containing a high percentage of impurities and shives. Where they do not have suitable facilities for cleaning such secondary products, they may have the short fibre cleaned under contract by another operator. In such circumstances, the cleaning of fibre under contract should be regarded as an operation carried out by the primary processor authorised in respect of short flax fibre. The conditions to be met by the operators concerned, in particular with a view to controls, should accordingly be laid down.(5)To ensure the eligibility of the products concerned for aid, there must be introduced, for the marketing year concerned, a single application, as referred to in Chapter I of Title II of Part II of Commission Regulation (EC) No 796/2004 of 21 April 2004 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of cross-compliance, modulation and the integrated administration and control system provided for in Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 establishing common rules for direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy and establishing certain support schemes for farmersOJ L 141, 30.4.2004, p. 18. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 319/2008 (OJ L 95, 8.4.2008, p. 63)..(6)With a view to ensuring sound administrative management while adapting to the special conditions applying on the markets for flax and hemp, the period during which flax and hemp straw grown for fibre can be processed and, where applicable, marketed should be determined.(7)Where Member States decide to grant aid on short flax fibre or hemp fibre containing more than 7,5 % impurities and shives, a method of calculation allowing the quantity produced to be expressed in terms of an equivalent quantity with a 7,5 % impurities and shives content should be laid down.(8)With a view to helping to ensure that the stabiliser mechanism functions properly, provision should be made to limit the quantities of fibre on which processing aid can be granted in respect of a marketing year to the quantity arrived at by multiplying the number of hectares covered by contracts or processing commitments by a unit quantity per hectare. That unit quantity is to be determined by the Member State on the basis of the national guaranteed quantities established and of the hectares cultivated.(9)Given the variations in the national guaranteed quantities that may result from the flexibility introduced by Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1673/2000, detailed rules should be laid down for establishing such national guaranteed quantities for each marketing year, taking account of any adjustments that may prove necessary with a view to apportioning the national guaranteed quantities suitably among the beneficiaries of the processing aid.(10)Processing aid is to be granted subject to the conclusion of a contract or commitment as referred to in Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 1673/2000. In addition, transfers between national guaranteed quantities and the unit quantities per hectare must be fixed in good time by the Member State on the basis of the areas covered by contracts or commitments. Provision should be made for the relevant information in such contracts or commitments to be forwarded by the operators to the competent authorities of the Member State at the start of processing operations. In order to permit some flexibility in the trade concerned, the possibilities for transferring contracts among authorised primary processors should be subject to a limit.(11)With a view to sound management of the aid scheme, the information that must be forwarded by the operators to the competent authorities of the Member State and the notifications to be made to the Commission by the Member States must be stipulated.(12)In order to manage a scheme based on aid granted on the basis of the quantities of fibre produced over a period of 22 months, provision should be made for the lodging, at the start of processing operations for a given marketing year, of aid applications covering fibre to be obtained, the quantities of which are to be indicated periodically thereafter.(13)On account of the possible adjustments to the national guaranteed quantities and the unit quantities per hectare, the total quantities of fibre on which the aid can be granted are known only after processing is completed. Provision must accordingly be made for advances on the aid to be paid to authorised primary processors on the basis of the quantities of fibre obtained periodically. In order to ensure that amounts due where irregularities are observed are actually paid, such advance payments should be made subject to the lodging of a security. Such securities must comply with certain provisions of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2220/85 of 22 July 1985 laying down common detailed rules for the application of the system of securities for agricultural productsOJ L 205, 3.8.1985, p. 5. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1913/2006..(14)Additional aid as provided for in Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1673/2000 is to be granted only in respect of areas the straw produced from which has qualified for aid for processing into long flax fibre. A minimum yield of long flax fibre produced per hectare covered by a contract or a commitment should accordingly be established so that the circumstances under which that condition is met can be determined.(15)A system of administrative and on-the-spot checks is vital for the proper conduct of the operations. The items that must be checked and the minimum number of on-the-spot checks to be carried out per marketing year must be specified.(16)The consequences of any irregularities observed must be laid down. They must be sufficiently severe as to discourage any unlawful use of Community aid while complying with the principle of proportionality.(17)In order to bring the time when the fibre is obtained sufficiently close to the operative event for the exchange rate for advance payments and processing aid, that event must take place on the last day of each period for the notification of the quantities of fibre obtained.(18)The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Natural Fibres,HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: