Commission Regulation (EU) No 1233/2009 of 15 December 2009 laying down a specific market support measure in the dairy sector

Member States shall use the amounts set out in the Annex to provide support to dairy farmers severely affected by the dairy crisis on the basis of objective criteria and in a non-discriminatory way, provided that these payments do not cause distortion of competition.

1 The measures provided for in Article 1 of this Regulation shall be deemed to be intervention measures intended to regulate agricultural markets within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005.

2 Payments in relation to the support referred to in Article 1 shall be made by the Member States by 30 June 2010 at the latest.

As regards the support provided for in Article 1, the Member States shall communicate to the Commission: (a) without delay and no later than 31 March 2010, a description of the objective criteria used to determine the methods for granting support and the provisions taken to avoid distortion of the market; (b) no later than 30 August 2010, the total amounts of aid paid and the number and type of beneficiaries.

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.