Commission Regulation (EC) No 1288/2000 of 19 June 2000 providing for a specific inspection of intervention stocks of cereals at the beginning of the 2000/2001 and 2001/2002 marketing years

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1288/2000
of 19 June 2000
providing for a specific inspection of intervention stocks of cereals at the beginning of the 2000/2001 and 2001/2002 marketing years
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 1766/92 on the common organisation of the market in cereals(1), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1253/1999(2), and in particular Article 5 thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 1253/1999 of 17 May 1999 amending Regulation (EEC) No 1766/92 provides for a 15 % reduction in the price of cereals in two equal steps from the 2000/2001 marketing year.
(2) The prospect of such a price reduction may lead operators to place quantities of cereals including some of their working stock in intervention at the end of the 1999/2000 marketing year to avoid devaluation of their stock.
(3) The risk that intervention stocks may be used unlawfully and subsequently replaced by cereals from the new harvest cannot be ruled out in this context.
(4) To avoid any risk of fraudulent use of intervention stocks, on top of the inspections provided for in Commission Regulation (EC) No 2148/96 of 8 November 1996 laying down rules for evaluating and monitoring public intervention stocks of agricultural products(3), amended by Regulation (EC) No 808/1999(4), provision should be made for a specific inspection of intervention stocks to confirm the physical reality of such stocks during the critical period.
(5) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Cereals,