WRITTEN QUESTION E-0729/02

by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(14 March 2002)

Subject: Beef premium

As part of the Swedish Presidency's proposed compromise, adopted by the Agriculture Council on 19 June 2001 in Luxembourg, it was agreed that special premiums would be guaranteed in principle in all Member States for a maximum of 90 animals per farm and that stock density would be reduced to 1,8 livestock units per hectare.

Can the Commission say:

- How many farms in the individual Member States are above this limit?

- How many farms in the applicant countries are above this limit?

- Whether there are any plans to introduce an identical or a similar limit for other agricultural sectors?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(3 May 2002)

The terms of application of the provision on a maximum of 90 animals per age bracket, calendar year and farm for granting of the special premium were tightened up by the Council when it adopted Regulation (EC) No 1512/2001 of 23 July 2001(1) amending its Regulation (EC) No 1254/1999 of 17 May 1999 on common organisation of the market in beef and veal(2).

On the basis of the initial version of Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1254/1999 ten Member States had decided to ignore or waive the 90-animal limit.

At present two Member States have officially informed the Commission of their intention to waive or ignore this limit for 2002 under the new rules set by Regulation (EC) No 1512/2001.

The stocking density requirement expressed in livestock units (LU) per hectare restricts the number of animals on which the special premium and the suckler cow premium can be paid. On this matter the Commission has information provided by the Member States for the purposes of ongoing management of the premium system.

For each of the premiums Member States notify the number of animals on which it has been granted and the number of producers receiving it, and also the number of animals and producers to which the stocking density requirement does not apply because the animals amount to less than 15 LU.

The rules in force do not require Member States to provide information on areas or number of farms involved, or on the number of producers or animals excluded from the premiums for failure to meet the stocking density requirement.

However, given that compliance with the stocking density requirement is a condition for granting of the special premium and the suckler cow premium producers receiving either or both of them are considered to comply with it.

Thus the Commission can make available to the Honourable Member the figures for the number of producers who have received the special premium and the suckler cow premium and the number of animals on which it has been granted and also on the number of producers exempt from the stocking density requirement and the number of animals involved. It can send him these figures if he needs them.

In most of the applicant countries no consideration has been given to the idea of a stocking density requirement in connection with direct payments to beef producers. The Commission does not have any figures on the numbers of holdings likely to be in compliance with the density set in the Community rules.

The applicant countries have asked for national ceilings to be set for direct payments in the beef sector, in particular the special premium and the suckler cow premium. Their requests are based on national figures giving only the number of animals potentially eligible for each of these.

The Commission's information is that cattle farming systems in the applicant countries are in general more extensive in nature than in the Member States.

The Commission has no plans at present to propose introduction of similar limits in other agricultural sectors.

(1) OJ L 201, 26.7.2001.

(2) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999.