1.A farmer keeping suckler cows on his holding may qualify, on application, for a premium for maintaining suckler cows (suckler cow premium). It shall be granted in the form of an annual premium per calendar year and per farmer within the limits of individual ceilings.
2.The suckler cow premium shall be granted to any farmer:
(a)not supplying milk or milk products from his farm for 12 months from the day on which the application is lodged.
The supply of milk or milk products directly from the holding to the consumer shall not, however, prevent grant of the premium,
(b)supplying milk or milk products whose total individual reference quantity as referred to in Article 4 of Regulation (EEC) No 3950/92 does not exceed 120 000 kilograms. However, Member States may decide on the basis of objective criteria, which they determine, to change or waive this quantitative limit,
provided that the farmer keeps, for at least six consecutive months from the day on which the application is lodged a number of suckler cows at least equal to 60 % and of heifers at most equal to 40 % of the number for which the premium was requested.
For the purposes of determining the number of eligible animals under points (a) and (b) of the first paragraph of paragraph 2 of this Article, whether cows belong to a suckler herd or to a dairy herd shall be established on the basis of the beneficiary's individual reference quantity as defined in Article 95(2) and the average milk yield.
3.The farmers' entitlement to the premium shall be limited by the application of an individual ceiling as defined in Article 126.
4.Per eligible animal, the amount of the premium shall be set at EUR 200.
5.In case of application of Article 68(a)(i), Member States may grant an additional national suckler cow premium, up to a maximum of EUR 50 per animal, provided that no discrimination is caused between stockfarmers in the Member State concerned.
In respect of holdings located in a region as defined in Articles 3 and 6 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds(1), the first EUR 24,15 per animal of this additional premium shall be financed by the Guarantee Section of the European Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF).
In respect of holdings located throughout the territory of a Member State, if in the Member State concerned the cattle population has a high proportion of suckler cows, representing at least 30 % of the total number of cows, and if at least 30 % of male bovine animals slaughtered belong to conformation classes S and E, the Guarantee Section of EAGGF shall finance the additional premium in total. Any overshoot of these percentages is established on the basis of the average of the two years preceding that for which the premium is granted.
6.For the purposes of this Article, only heifers belonging to a meat breed or born of a cross with a meat breed and belonging to a herd intended for rearing calves for meat production shall be taken into account.
OJ L 161, 26.6.1999, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1105/2003 (OJ L 158, 27.6.2003, p. 3).