The seven different regulations implementing the detailed rules of the €500 million aid package to help ease the situation of agricultural producers in the EU were published in the Official Journal of the European Union on Friday 9 September (see EUROPE 11610).
The crisis package was presented to EU agriculture ministers in July and the detailed rules were finalised by experts at the end of August.
The delegated regulation of 8 September 2016 provides for the reduction of milk production (€150 million). EU aid will be made available to applicants who agree to reduce their cows’ milk deliveries for a period of three months. For each eligible applicant, the aid will cover the amount by which deliveries have been reduced, up to a maximum of 50% of the total quantity of milk cows’ milk deliveries to first purchasers during the reference period. Eligible applicants will be milk producers who have made cows’ milk deliveries to first purchasers in July 2016. The deadlines for receipt of completed applications are: - midday on 21 September 2016 for the first reduction period which will run over the months of October, November and December 2016; - midday on 12 October 2016 for the second reduction period covering the months of November and December 2016 and January 2017; - midday on 9 November for the third reduction period which will take in the months of December 2016 and January and February 2017; - midday on 7 December for the fourth reduction period which covers the months of January, February and March 2017. Producers may submit only one aid application under the terms of the current regulation.
Another regulation will grant exceptional adjustment aid totalling €350 million to milk producers and farmers in other livestock sectors (beef, pork, mutton and goat). The member states will use the money made available to them for measures taken on the basis of objective and non-discriminatory criteria – on condition that the resultant payments do not distort competition. The measures taken by the member states will support milk producers and/or farmers in other livestock sectors who engage in one or more of the following, seeking to improve the economic sustainability of their farms and help stabilise the market: - reduction of milk production beyond the level provided for in the preceding delegated regulation of no increase in production; - small-scale farming; - use of extensive production methods; - use of production methods that respect the environment and the climate; - implementation of cooperation projects; - implementation of quality systems of projects that seek to promote quality and value added; - training in financial instruments and risk management tools. The aid is to be paid by 30 September 2017. Member states are free to provide additional support of up to 100% for the measures specified (that is, the EU aid may be doubled).
The technical acts are: - the implementing regulation authorising the level of advance payments for direct payments and area-related and animal-related rural development measures to be increased (up to 75% rather than the present up to 50%); - the regulation extending the public intervention period for skimmed milk powder until 31 December 2016 and setting the start of the public intervention period for skimmed milk powder in 2017 as 1 January; - the regulation extending by six months the period during which agreements and decisions on the planning of production in the milk and milk products sector are authorised; - the regulation on possible revision of the voluntary coupled support measures in the milk and milk products sector for claim year 2017; - the regulation on the last day for submission of applications for private storage aid for skimmed milk powder. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)