Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1613 of 8 September 2016 providing for exceptional adjustment aid to milk producers and farmers in other livestock sectors

1 Union aid of a total amount of EUR 350000000 shall be available to Member States to provide exceptional adjustment aid to milk producers and/or to farmers in the beef and veal, pigmeat and sheepmeat and goatmeat sectors (‘farmers in other livestock sectors’). Member States shall use the amounts available to them as set out in the Annex for measures taken on the basis of objective and non-discriminatory criteria, provided that the resulting payments do not cause distortion of competition. The measures taken by the Member States shall support milk producers and/or farmers in other livestock sectors who engage in one or more of the following activities that aim at fostering the economic sustainability of their holdings and that contribute to market stabilisation: (a) production reduction beyond that covered by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1612 or not increasing production; (b) small-scale farming; (c) the application of extensive production methods; (d) the application of environmental and climate friendly production methods; (e) the implementation of cooperation projects; (f) the implementation of quality schemes or projects aiming at promoting quality and value added; (g) training in financial instruments and risk management tools. Member States shall ensure that, when milk producers and farmers in other livestock sectors are not the direct beneficiaries of the payments, the economic benefit of the aid is passed on to them in full. Member States' expenditure in relation to the payments under this Regulation shall only be eligible for Union aid if those payments have been made by 30 September 2017 at the latest.

2 In respect of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom, the operative event for the exchange rate as regards the amounts set out in the Annex shall be the date of entry into force of this Regulation.

3 Measures under this Regulation may be cumulated with other support financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

Member States may grant additional support for the measures taken under Article 1 up to a maximum of 100 % of the corresponding amount as set out in the Annex, under the same conditions of objectiveness, non-discrimination and non-distortion of competition as laid down in Article 1. Member States shall pay the additional support by 30 September 2017 at the latest.

Member States shall notify the Commission of the following: (a) without delay and no later than 30 November 2016: (i) a description of the concrete measures to be taken; (ii) the objective criteria used to determine the methods for granting the aid and, where appropriate, the rationale for using the aid for other livestock sectors than the milk sector; (iii) the intended impact of the measures in view of stabilising the market; (iv) the measures taken to check that the intended impact is reached; (v) the measures taken to avoid distortion of competition; (vi) the level of additional support granted pursuant to Article 2; (b) no later than 15 October 2017, the total amounts paid per measure, the number and type of beneficiaries and the assessment of the effectiveness of the measure.

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