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COMMISSION REGULATION (EEC) No 2022/85
of 22 July 1985
on minimum quality requirements for dried plums, and prunes, eligible for production aid
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN
COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 516/77 of 14 March 1977 on the common organization of the market in products processed from fruit and vegetables (1), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 746/85 (2), and in particular Article 3d (4) thereof,
Whereas Article 3 of Regulation (EEC) No 516/77 provides for a system of production aid for certain products; whereas Article 3d (1) (b) of the Regulation lays down that aid shall be paid only in respect of products which meet minimum quality standards to be laid down;
Whereas the aim of such quality requirements is to avoid the production of products for which no demand exists or products which would create distortion of the market; whereas the requirements must be based on traditional, fair manufacturing procedures;
Whereas to facilitate compliance with such quality requirements, dried plums purchased by the processor should also be subject to certain quality requirements; whereas payment of the minimum price to producers should be subject to compliance with those requirements;
Whereas with a view to implementing the production aid system, this Regulation must be applied in conjunction with Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1599/84 of 5 June 1984 laying down detailed rules for the application of the system of production aid for products processed from fruit and vegetables (3), as amended by Regulation (EEC) No 1455/85 (4), in particular as regards the examination of processed products;
Whereas the quality requirements laid down in this Regulation are measures for implementing the production aid system; whereas quality requirements for the marketing of the products have not yet been established by the Community; whereas national requirements to that end may continue to be applied by the Member States, provided they are compatible with the provisions of the Treaty on the free movement of goods;
Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Products Processed from Fruit and Vegetables,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
1. To qualify for payment of the minimum price referred to in Article 3b of Regulation (EEC) No 516/77, dried plums derived from prunes d'Ente must comply with the characteristics set out in Annex I.
2. To qualify for payment of the aid referred to in Article 3c of Regulation (EEC) No 516/77, prunes must comply with the characteristics set out in Annex II.
Article 2
Verification of the requirements for dried plums shall be effected on the basis of samples taken by the processor from a lot. For this purpose, 'a lot' means the number of containers presented jointly by the same producer, or his recognized producers' group or an association of such groups for acceptance by a processor or his processors' group or an association of such groups. The samples shall be examined by the processor or, where appropriate, by his representative. The results of the verification shall be recorded.
Article 3
1. The processor shall daily, and at regular intervals during the processing period, verify that the prunes comply with the requirements for benefiting from aid. The result of the verification shall be recorded.
2. The net weight of each sample to be examined shall be not less than 1 kilogram.
Article 4
This Regulation shall enter into force on 1 September 1985.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 22 July 1985.